My School Field Trip To OUIDAH – Python de temple (snake Temple in Benin Republic) by the Ekiti State University’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
In most parts of the world snakes are feared, but in Benin they are
revered. Royal pythons are worshiped in Benin, especially in Ouidah.
The good news is that royal pythons are not dangerous, but the bad
news is that these sacred reptiles are welcome Beninese households where
they are fed when the doors of the temple are opened at night. There is
no fear when the locals welcome these slithering pythons into their
living rooms like an honoured guest.
A snake instructor
The Temple of Pythons is a small room of twelve square meters that
houses 50 adult royal pythons. Take a picture with a python around your
neck or stroke the snakes if you are scared of being strangled.
Several shrines were built for offerings to the ‘snake-god’ Dagbe,
but the biggest offerings come from the tourists who pay
200Cepha(100naira) to enter the Temple of the Sacred Python.
Voodoo shrines and other relics can be viewed for this entry fee, but taking photos with the snakes can be costly.
Tourists negotiate fees in a small circular building full of
pythons and many will testify that other types of “snakes” tend to get
more money that needed from scared tourists.
On one side of Ouidah’s central square, the catholic basilica
towers into the sky to represent the Christian influence, but the python
temple on the other side draws more tourists.
Benin is known for its alternative ideas such as Voodoo and the
snake fascination and Westerners will see new things that may leave
their skin crawling or lead to snakes crawling on their skin!
No comments:
Post a Comment