The Priye Ginen
The Priye Ginen is the Prayer of Africa. It is sung "to open ceremony" at the beginning of dances, Lave Tets, Kanzos, and all other important ceremonies. It creates a sacred area, it is a powerful prayer. The prayer is done in a call and response arrangement.
The Houngan/Mambo leading the ceremony will sing a verse, then the congregation will sing the verse back. It is opened by what is sometimes referred to as the Priye Djo or outside prayers. Thus it begins with the Our Father, The Hail Mary, the Creed, and various songs commonly found in the Catholic church and to various saints. There are long litanies to God, the Saints, the Dead, and all the Lwa.
The Catholic prayers are said in French, here are the French language versions of the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Creed of Apostles for you to learn:
Notre P?re qui es aux cieux! Que ton nom soit sanctifi?;
que ton r?gne vienne; que ta volont? soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain quotidien;
pardonne-nous nos offenses, comme nous aussi nous pardonnons ? ceux qui nous ont offens?s;
ne nous induis pas en tentation, mais d?livre-nous du malin.
Car c'est ? toi qu'appartiennent, dans tous les si?cles, le r?gne, la puissance et la gloire.
Amen.
Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de gr?ce.
Le Seigneur est avec vous.
Vous ?tes b?nie entre toutes les femmes,
et J?sus, le fruit de vos entrailles, est b?ni.
Sainte Marie, M?re de Dieu,
Priez pour nous, pauvres p?cheurs,
maintenant et ? l'heure de notre mort.
Amen
Je crois en Dieu, le P?re tout-puissant, cr?ateur du ciel et de la terre.
Et en J?sus-Christ, son Fils unique, notre Seigneur, qui a ?t? con?u de Saint-Esprit, et qui est n? de la Vierge Marie. Il a souffert sous Ponce Pilate, il a ?t? crucifi?, il est mort, il a ?t? enseveli, il est descendu aux enfers. Le troisi?me jour il est ressuscit? des morts, il est mont? aux cieux, il si?ge ? la droite de Dieu. Il viendra de l? pour juger les vivants et les morts.
Je crois en l'Esprit-Saint. Je crois la Sainte Eglise catholique, la communion des saints, la r?mission des p?ch?s, la r?surrection de la chair, et la vie ?ternelle.
Amen
The Priye Ginen varies somewhat from House to House and ceremony to ceremony. Some ceremonies require the singing of certain songs whereas others do not. The basics of the Prayer, the order of the songs, and many other things always stay the same however. During the prayers, the drums may be occasionally beaten at the beginning of certain songs. The prayer is led by the Asson.
Shorter versions are sometimes said during other times. Sometimes during what we call "work" or travay. This is magickal work and the Priye may or may not be sung, but usually if it will be sung it will be a shortened version.
Anyone can learn the prayer. Usually one learns the Priye by sitting through many many ceremonies.
This is how I learned it also. |
