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A hounfour (also called oufo, hounfor, oum'phor, or houmfort) is a Haitian Vodou temple. The leader of the ceremony is a male priest called a houngan, or a female priest called a mambo. The term is believed to derive from the Fon language houn for "abode of spirits."
At the centre of the temple is the potomitan, a post used to contact spirits, and a highly decorated altar. There is a feast before the ceremony, and a particular pattern (a veve) relating to the loa being worshiped is outlined on the temple floor.
Accompanied by beats from rattles and religious drums called , dancing and chanting begins. One of the dancers is said to be possessed by the loa, entering a trance and behaving just as the loa would. An animal, normally a chicken, goat, sheep, or pig, is sacrificed and its blood is collected. This is used to sate the hunger of the loa.
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