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  Photos   Photos   Life   02 Nov 2017  Haitians honour the dead with sacred rituals

Haitians honour the dead with sacred rituals

AP

Published : Nov 2, 2017, 11:56 am IST
Updated : Jul 6, 2019, 3:32 pm IST
Revellers stream into cemeteries across the country, in a two-day celebration, to honour Baron Samedi, the guardian of the dead and ruler of the graveyard, and the rest of the Gede spirits which represent death and fertility. (Photo: AP)
Revellers stream into cemeteries across the country, in a two-day celebration, to honour Baron Samedi, the guardian of the dead and ruler of the graveyard, and the rest of the Gede spirits which represent death and fertility. (Photo: AP)
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Believers perform a voodoo ceremony during Haiti's annual Fete Gede festival, in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Vodou is a religion that can be traced back at least 6,000 years. Vodou is freely practiced in West Africa and is widespread throughout the Caribbean. (Photo: AP)
Believers perform a voodoo ceremony during Haiti's annual Fete Gede festival, in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Vodou is a religion that can be traced back at least 6,000 years. Vodou is freely practiced in West Africa and is widespread throughout the Caribbean.  (Photo: AP)
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A man invokes a "Gede" spirit during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. On this day, people dress up and walk and dance in processions to the graveyards where they feed their ancestral dead with gifts from their own table. (Photo: AP)
A man invokes a "Gede" spirit during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. On this day, people dress up and walk and dance in processions to the graveyards where they feed their ancestral dead with gifts from their own table.  (Photo: AP)
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A man invoking a "Gede" spirit sprinkles baby powder on his dog during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, in front of Cite Soleil Cemetery, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday Nov. 1, 2017. It is also a time to reconnect with the past and prepare for the future with sacred rituals. (Photo: AP)
A man invoking a "Gede" spirit sprinkles baby powder on his dog during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, in front of Cite Soleil Cemetery, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday Nov. 1, 2017.  It is also a time to reconnect with the past and prepare for the future with sacred rituals. (Photo: AP)
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A human skull sits amid offerings at the National Cemetery during Haiti's annual Fete Gede Voodoo festival, in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. It is a way to honour the spirits and gain protection for the next year. (Photo: AP)
A human skull sits amid offerings at the National Cemetery during Haiti's annual Fete Gede Voodoo festival, in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. It is a way to honour the spirits and gain protection for the next year.  (Photo: AP)
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A man invoking a "Gede" spirit chants songs during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Ancestral services are held at this 'crossroad', which is considered to be the bridge between life and death. (Photo: AP)
A man invoking a "Gede" spirit chants songs during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Ancestral services are held at this 'crossroad', which is considered to be the bridge between life and death. (Photo: AP)
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A man in the role of a "Gede" spirit chants songs at the gravesite of Baron Samedi, during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Baron Samedi is one of the Ioa Haitian Vodou. (Photo: AP)
 A man in the role of a "Gede" spirit chants songs at the gravesite of Baron Samedi, during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. Baron Samedi is one of the Ioa Haitian Vodou. (Photo: AP)
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A man in the role of a "Gede" spirit takes a drag from a cigarette during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. The celebrations in Haiti are a unique blend of traditions brought over from Africa, mixed with colonial Christianity and a few of the ritual from the original Taino inhabitants of the island. (Photo: AP)
A man in the role of a "Gede" spirit takes a drag from a cigarette during Haiti's annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede, at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017.  The celebrations in Haiti are a unique blend of traditions brought over from Africa, mixed with colonial Christianity and a few of the ritual from the original Taino inhabitants of the island. (Photo: AP)
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Tags: Voodoo festival, haiti, Port-au-Prince, ancestors, festival, Baron Samedi