So, in direct opposition to the Salvation Army soup kitchen, the meal comes before the sermon. People were sitting around, not doing much of anything. They were remarkably patient, smoking cigarettes and sipping beers, waiting for the start. This night they waited 3 hours. One of the great evils of a stagnant economy is boredom.
People hang around and stare straight ahead for hours at a time.
This is why an occasional necklacing can brighten up an otherwise dull week. It's certainly more meaningful to sit inside a temple waiting for something than to sit outside waiting for nothing. As people walked in, there was an usher of sorts, but it was otherwise quite informal. Voudou, in fact, has about the most relaxed services I've ever seen. Even shouting out wisecracks about the houngon's competence is quite acceptable.