Marie Laveau lived in New Orleans.
She was a kind leader. She helped sick people with plants. She also helped many others. People still talk about her today.
Do you like to hear old stories?
Marie Laveau lived in New Orleans.
She was a leader in Voodoo. She also used plants to heal people. She helped many people in her town.
Marie had a beauty parlor. She worked as a hair dresser there. She listened to people to learn their news.
She used this news to give advice. She also sold charms to her clients. This helped them with their wishes.
People still visit her grave today. They sometimes make marks on the stone.
She is a very famous part of history.
Marie Laveau was a famous leader in New Orleans. She lived in the 1800s. Many people called her a Voodoo queen. She was a priestess, which is a religious leader.
Marie was a healer. She used herbs to help sick people. She also worked as a hair dresser. She ran a beauty parlor for rich families. While she worked, she listened to people talk. She used this news to give advice to her clients. She also sold charms called gris gris. People bought them to help make wishes come true.
Marie was a busy woman in her town. She helped people with money and family problems. She even visited prisoners. She would pray with them and prepare their last meals. She also tried to help them get pardons from the law.
Marie died in 1881. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II, also practiced these traditions. Many people still talk about Marie today. Some people visit her tomb in a large cemetery. They say if you make marks on the stone, your wishes might come true.
Marie Laveau was a famous leader in New Orleans during the 1800s. Many people knew her as a Voodoo queen or a priestess. She was a very busy woman who helped her community in many ways. She was a healer who used plants and herbs to help the sick. She was also a midwife who helped bring new babies into the world. People looked to her for advice on many different things.
Marie had many different jobs that helped her connect with people. She ran a beauty parlor where she worked as a hair dresser. She served many wealthy families in the city. While she worked, she listened to the news and gossip from her clients. She used this information to give practical advice during her Voodoo consultations. She also sold special charms called gris gris to help people's wishes come true. She worked from her home on St. Ann Street and in Congo Square.
Marie was born on September 10, 1801, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Her mother was named Marguerite D'Arcantel. At that time, the land was ruled by Spanish officials. Marie married a man named Jacques Paris on August 4, 1819. He was a carpenter who had moved from Saint-Domingue. Later, she lived with a man named Christophe Dominick Duminy de Glapion. They had several children together, including two daughters named Marie.
Throughout her life, Marie was a very strong leader in her community. During a yellow fever sickness in 1878, she used prayers and herbs to care for the sick. She also visited prisoners who were facing death. She would pray with them and prepare their last meals. She even tried to ask for pardons to help them. Some people believed she could see the future. She was the third woman to lead Voodoo in New Orleans.
Marie Laveau died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 79. Many people attended her large funeral. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II, continued her mother's work. Even today, people still talk about the legend of Marie Laveau. Some tourists visit her tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. They believe that making three X marks on the stone can help a wish come true. Her life has inspired many songs and paintings over the years.
Marie Catherine Laveau was a prominent Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo in nineteenth-century New Orleans. She served as a religious leader, a midwife, and an herbalist. Many people recognized her as a Voodoo queen or a priestess. She was a central figure in the spiritual and social life of her community. Her influence reached across different social classes in the city.
Laveau's career involved several interconnected roles that allowed her to build significant social capital. She operated a beauty parlor where she worked as a hairdresser for wealthy families. In this role, she listened to the gossip of her patrons and their servants. She used this information to provide practical advice during her Voodoo consultations. This helped her build a reputation as a clairvoyant, or someone who can see the future. She also sold gris gris, which are charms used to help wishes come true. She performed her spiritual services in three specific locations: her home on St. Ann Street, Congo Square, and Lake Pontchartrain.
Her spiritual practice was deeply integrated into the community's daily needs. Laveau provided herbal remedies and prayers to those suffering during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. She also visited prisoners who were sentenced to death. According to her daughter, Philomène, Marie would prepare the men's last meals and pray with them. She followed Catholic traditions during these visits and was described as a devout member of the Catholic communion. Additionally, she sought legal pardons or commutations of sentences for people she favored. She also provided spiritual rituals for those in need without charging a fee.
Laveau was the third female leader of Voodoo in New Orleans. The first leader was Sanité Dédé, who was later succeeded by Marie Saloppé. Laveau maintained her authority as a leader for many years. Even when someone attempted to challenge her leadership in 1850, she remained in power. Her influence was so great that New Orleans Voodoo lost many followers after her death. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II, continued the tradition. Marie II used more theatrical methods, such as holding public rituals at Bayou St. John on St. John's Eve.
Historical records provide specific details about Laveau's early life and family. She was born a free woman of color on September 10, 1801, in the French Quarter. At the time, Louisiana was under Spanish colonial administration. Her mother, Marguerite D'Arcantel, had African, European, and Native American ancestry. In 1819, Marie married Jacques Paris, a carpenter from Saint-Domingue. After Paris likely died in 1823, Laveau entered a domestic partnership with Christophe Dominick Duminy de Glapion. They had seven children together, though records suggest they may have had as many as 15 children and grandchildren in total. Only two of their daughters, Marie-Héloïse and Marie-Philomène, survived into adulthood.
Marie Laveau died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 79. Her death was reported in many newspapers, including the Daily Picayune and the Staxton Spectator. Her funeral was described as lavish and attended by a diverse crowd, including the white elite. Many people believe she is buried in plot 347 of the Glapion family crypt in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1.
Today, Laveau remains a powerful figure in popular culture and folklore. Many tourists visit her tomb to make wishes. A common tradition involves drawing three X marks on the stone and knocking on the tomb. Because of this, the tomb has faced issues with vandalism. In 2013, the tomb was covered in pink latex paint, which had to be carefully removed. To protect the family tombs, the Archdiocese of New Orleans now requires visitors to use a guide. Her legacy lives on through many songs, paintings, and books, such as Zora Neale Hurston's 1935 book, Mules and Men.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (2)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.