Keeping up with the latest fads in China is like trying to swim without getting wet. Things happen way too fast here and seen through a foreigner's eyes more often than not these fads are kitsch, but occasionally they get downright bizarre.

A case in point is the recent influx of voodoo dolls. Yes you heard right, and if word on the street is to be believed, no self-respecting teenage student would be seen dead without one. Talk of death, in this case, is not mentioned lightly.

Local media is rife with reports of the "uses" of these dolls, and if we are to believe what we're reading, it looks like a case of "Beijing-we have a problem!"

Markets across the capital and in many other parts of the country have been flooded with the small dolls, made of a long thread of wrapped colored twine and usually with a red heart kept in place by two pins. Pins are an important part of the package as these dolls are not for playing, they have an altogether more sinister purpose--like being used to wish the death of a teacher or classmate, bringing bad luck to students' writing exams, or even wishing someone you don't like would wet her bed.

A story from the Yangzi Evening News, reported via Sina.com, told of a Wuxi university student who was caught by her friend frantically stabbing pins into a voodoo doll and chanting "Stab you to death, stab you to death, you are the reason why I did not pass fourth grade." This student is convinced she failed an exam because someone teased her years ago. Now she is seeking the ultimate revenge via the doll, which bears the name of her enemy.

Shanghai Daily reported how a horrified mother came home to find her teenage daughter pushing needles into a voodoo doll to increase her luck ahead of an important exam at school. Apparently the daughter claimed she could do this by transferring bad luck to her classmates via the power of the doll. They would fail, and she would come up smelling like roses.

In Beijing Today a middle school student said that voodoo dolls were very popular at her school and it was considered unfashionable not to have one. She said while many of her friends buy the dolls to curse their teachers (sometimes with death), she had bought a doll wearing a diaper and then cursed a girl she didn't like hoping the hapless girl would wet her bed.

In most cases it seems the dolls are bought on the advice of friends and promotion is done via word of mouth and Internet chat rooms.

In the capital the dolls are available in Xidan and cost about 50 yuan. According to sellers, they originate from Thailand-for once something is not "Made in China." Those really keen to do maximum damage can buy a set of 56 dolls, each with its own secret power. Admittedly many of the dolls can be used for more tasteful wishes, like keeping your lover faithful, bringing good health or asking for riches, but reports seem to indicate the darker side of human nature is dominating sales.

Probably one of the world's oldest and most misunderstood religions, it is Hollywood's horror movies and the media that forever attached the images of zombies, black magic, animal and human sacrifices and premier league cursing, firmly in the public's consciousness.

The religion originated in Benin, West Africa, from where it was spread via the slave trade in the 18th century, taking root in the Caribbean, Brazil and New Orleans. It made the strongest connection in Haiti, where today it is the island's official religion. Originally voodoo rituals and practices would be kept secret by the slaves, as colonialists banned it fearing a threat to their hold on power. It was further purged in the 1930s, in a series of crackdowns by the Catholic Church, who portrayed it as evil to serve their own ends. Yet in various guises voodoo has continued to survive.

Voodoo practitioners communicate with their God through spirits called Loa and the religion's animistic beliefs, which can be traced back thousands of years, include dancing, singing and drumming. It is the spirit Loa that possesses a worshipper during rituals to convey messages from the ancestors. The main focus of the rituals has long been documented for the positive ideals of protection, healing and good fortune.

The voodoo doll is only used in America and is not part of the core religion. Its original intention was to represent the spirit of a person whom the holder could use to attract love and promote well being. But as with all other religions, fundamentalists broke away to use the dolls for revenge and cause harm, something well exploited by the religion's detractors.

From an outsider's point of view it's easy to laugh off this fashion as harmless teenage superstition, yet there are signs here of consumerism following a trend blissfully unaware of the consequences.

Admittedly teenagers are a gullible market, but how do reportedly well-adjusted young people find it so easy to actively wish evil on another? What is it saying about their upbringing and if a voodoo doll is the vehicle of choice to express discontent, where is this society heading?

Toy manufacturers' instructions claim that in order to prevent others from cursing you, you should get a protective doll of your own. That's a great comfort in a never- ending cycle of curse and counter curse.

"For example, this 'terminal daimo' doll is the most powerful cursing doll. It can make your personal enemy unhappy for a long time," storeowner Yang Min told the Shanghai Daily. He added, "For those who don't have enemies to curse, some of the dolls can bring love or blessings." Right, I guess there's that too.

Although authorities in Beijing were quick to move in and confiscated these dolls, calling them "feudal and superstitious," as with all trends that get banned, they go underground and gain a bigger following.

"The dolls could be regarded as a new way to relieve the stress of city life, but it is a negative way to deal with stress and not recommended," said Li Chunbo, a mental health expert at Tongji Hospital.

Not recommended indeed. Yet although this direct way of seeking to harm another is very un-Chinese, I wouldn't pin my hopes on this fad disappearing too soon.

The author is a South African living in Beijing.