At some point not long after her death, people began petitioning Marie Laveau at her grave site by marking her tomb with three crossmarks (XXX) using broken red bricks from nearby graves and leaving offerings at the base of the tomb. One interesting custom was recounted in 1931 by the cemetery sexton: “Nice looking young ladies come” he said. “They pass down that way . . . and before every tomb they stop and tap three times while they whisper the wish they want to come true. Then they come to the Voodoo tomb and say the wish out loud” (The Miami News 1931). In 1936, the Pensacola News Journal reported “Men, women and children call secretly at the grave” on St. John’s Eve “to use this means to establish contact with Marie and obtain favors.”
Critics have stated the drawing of crossmarks is not a traditional Voudou practice, and blame has been placed on the tourist industry for what has been deemed a destructive practice. While it is unknown who started the practice, the act of signing with a crossmark is called kwasiyen in Haitian Vodou (Long). It signifies a point of power, a liminal space where the world of the Visibles and Invisibles meet and is used to establish communication with the Dead and the loa. While most people are unaware of the origins of the practice and simply emulate what they see, Marie Laveau herself was known to draw three crossmarks on the ground in front of graves when doing her conjure work, so perhaps the tradition actually comes from the Voudou Queen herself.
Originally, the crossmarks on Marie Laveau’s grave were made with soft red bricks from nearby crumbling graves, so they were a characteristic brick red in color. Over time, however, people began making crossmarks in different colors. The colors of the crossmarks would point to the nature of the petition made. According to one tour guide:
The white X is a general wish…The blue X is for good health, yellow is for luck, purple is for courage and strength, brown is for definite favors and red is generic…But the black X is the bad one – it’s for putting a hex on someone, and that’s frowned upon. (Miller 1994, 14)
The passion with which many devotees feel entitled to inscribe crossmarks on the Widow Paris tomb is fierce. According to one person I spoke to, putting small crossmarks on her tomb is an act of devotion, not defacement. Another individual stated it is a way of honoring her. Nevertheless, the act of drawing on a tomb is considered desecration and is, in fact, illegal.
*Photos by Jeffrey Holmes.
*Photos by Jeffrey Holmes.
Read the article and answer the following question in the Facebook group under the post called Module 1 Discussion: Crossmarks:
- Is marking an X a traditional Voudou activity?
- What does the X represent?
How to cite this page
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APA 6th
Alvarado, D. (2019). Crossmarks. Retrieved from https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
Alvarado, D. (2019). Crossmarks. Retrieved from https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
Chicago 16th
Alvarado, Denise. “Crossmarks,” 2019. https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
Alvarado, Denise. “Crossmarks,” 2019. https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
MLA 8th
Alvarado, Denise. Crossmarks. 2019, https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
Alvarado, Denise. Crossmarks. 2019, https://www.marie-laveaux.com/crossmarks.html.
The Tomb of Marie Laveau
An extensively researched, indispensible guide concerning Marie Laveau and the family members, friends, and strangers interred in the famous tomb. Featuring the first known statement to appear in print of Marie Laveau's own words as to her age and condition of health that was taken in a deposition by a Justice of the Peace on February 24, 1873.
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