Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic or sorcery. While the term may be used in a general sense, it is mainly used in reference to negative or black magic, and to religious practices derived from various West and Central African origins, such as Voodoo, Santeria and the Orisha faith. The word Obeah is also used in part, with any religious practicies such as Hindu puja and so. But in the islands (the Caribbean), the word Obeah is also associated with the Spiritual Baptist religion. Obeah is also related to anything dealing with blood, blood sacrificing etc. However unlike its Spanish and Brazilian counter-parts, the Spiritual Baptist religion does not involve sacrifice. The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation, in addition to the formally stated creeds and beliefs of a codified major religion. ... Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. ... People who do not practice Black magic tend to view it as the branch of magic used to perform evil acts or draw on malevolent powers. ... A large sequined Voodoo dwapo or flag by the artist George Valris The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin; also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based spiritist-animist religious tradition. ... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, most widely known as Santeria, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. ... Osun Shrine in Osogbo Nigeria near river An Orisha, also spelled Orisa and Orixa is a spirit that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare (God) in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system. ... A Hindu (also spelt Hindoo) is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, also known as Sanatan (सनातन) Dharma, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural systems of Bharat (India) and Nepal and the island of Bali While almost all Indians were known as Hindus to the outside world till the... No one across the vast world, truly knows from where the Spiritual/Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago originated from. ... No one across the vast world, truly knows from where the Spiritual/Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago originated from. ...

Obeah is practiced in the Bahamas and many Christians there include elements of obeah in their religion. As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Use in the Virgin Islands

In the Virgin Islands, Obeah is associated with both black and white magic, and with mysticism in general. One aspect which many visitors to the islands may be familiar with (although not aware of) is the Mocko-Jumbie, or stilt dancer. ...

In the Obeah tradition, a Jumbie is an evil or lost spirit, related to the Kongo word Nzumbi, which led to the sensationalistic Zombies of Hollywood. Jumbie however, retains more of the word's original meaning. It is sometimes associated with a child who has died before being baptized. Such a child is said to be forced to forever walk the earth at night, and is easily identified by its backward-facing feet. By contrast, the Mocko-Jumbie is brightly colored, dances in the daylight, and is very much alive. The Mocko-Jumbie also represents the flip-side of spiritual darkness, as stilt-dancing is most popular around holy days and Carnival. The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany A carnival parade is a public celebration, combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. ...

Also practised in rural areas of Jamaica.