Bondye

Bondye is the Haitian Creole word for God. It is used by speakers of Haitian Creole across Haiti and in diaspora communities to refer to the supreme being in everyday speech and religious life.

Etymology: Bondye is linked to French religious terms, notably Bon Dieu (good God) and Dieu, and reflects the syncretic blending of Catholic and African-derived religious vocabulary in Haitian culture.

In Catholic practice, Bondye is the name used for the Christian God, invoked in prayers, hymns, and Creole-language liturgy and private devotion. The term surfaces in everyday expressions and religious discourse as a reference to a singular, supreme deity.

In Haitian Vodou, Bondye is regarded as the distant creator deity who established the universe, while the loa act as the intermediaries through whom people communicate, seek guidance, or request favors. Practitioners often perform rituals and offerings to specific loa, but prayers or reverence may still be directed toward Bondye as the ultimate source of power and creation.

Beliefs about Bondye vary among adherents; some emphasize direct devotion to Bondye, while others concentrate on relationships with the loa. The balance between focusing on Bondye and engaging with the spirits differs across communities and personal practice.

The term also appears in everyday language, literature, and music, where it functions as a general reference to God and as a source of moral guidance and communal identity within Haitian culture.