The word "vodou" comes from a Fon word, meaning god or spirit, and relates to the rituals performed for a "family" of spirits. Fon was a language used in the Dahomey Kingdom in what is now the country of Benin in west Africa. According to Wesleyan University professor Elizabeth McAlister and writer Y.-M. David Yih, vodou more generally describes not only music but religion, the arts, psychology, social relations, philosophy, healing, ethics and justice in Haiti.
Vodou music is related to the vodou religion and involves the use of singing, drums and dancing. According to the documentary "Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti" by Maya Deren, people from the Congo originally came to Haiti. With them came vodou music, which is spiritual in nature. The music has influenced secular music as well, notably jazz.
Practitioners of vodou music begin by singing a song to the spirits. The songs utilize a call and response motif. Often traditional songs employing African words are used. However, the meaning of those African terms has been lost. Sometimes new songs are added, as directed by the spirits. In the songs, aspects of the human condition and Haitian history like war, betrayal and slavery may be conveyed and are meant to give knowledge to younger audience members while appeasing the spirits, according to McAlister and Yih.
Rara is music with African and European influences, according to Tom Orr at National Geographic, although in sound it is reminiscent of traditional African music. Drums, tin trumpets, and bamboo horns are used to create this music. Rara can mean more than just musical sounds. Among other things, rara also describes a dance, religious ritual and a season, according to McAlister, who wrote a book on rara.
Rara music is played during the rara season which starts at the same time that Carnival begins and ends at the Easter holiday. During this time, people come together and sing new and old songs. Music is played and people sing and dance as the processions move through various towns. As with vodou music, there is an element of religiosity in rara. As the bands travel, they stop at religious places like cemeteries and give honor to ancestors. The city of Leogane has the most famous rara festival, according to McAlister.