Short answers, pulled from the story.
The supreme God in Haitian Vodou is known as Bondye, who created the universe and maintains cosmic order but remains distant from human affairs. Vodouists rarely approach Bondye directly and instead turn their devotion to the lwa spirits who serve as intermediaries.
The two largest and most dominant nations of lwa in Haitian Vodou are the Rada and the Petwo. The Rada nation owes more to Dahomeyan and Yoruba influences and is associated with the sea, agriculture, and healing, while the Petwo nation is largely derived from Kongo religion and is associated with fire, money, and violence.
Spirit possession in Haitian Vodou is known as mounting a horse or the chwal, where the lwa enter the head of the chwal and displace their soul. The possession trance can last from a few hours to several days, during which the chwal trembles, convulses, and often has no memory of the incident.
Following death, the soul is freed from the body and may dwell in the land of Ginen for a year and a day before being extracted from the waters of the abyss. The soul is then placed into a clay jar or bottle called the chak to assist descendants and guide them with wisdom.
The Haitian Revolution occurred from 1791 to 1801, overthrowing the French colonial government and transforming Saint-Domingue into the republic of Haiti. The Roman Catholic Church cut ties with Haiti in 1805, allowing Vodou to predominate until the Church returned in 1860.
Haiti's 1987 constitution enshrined freedom of religion, after which President Jean-Bertrand Aristide granted Vodou official recognition in 2003. This recognition followed growing hostility toward Vodouists and the formation of civil rights groups like Zantray and Bode Nasyonal.