Fete Ghede, or Day of the Dead.
At the cemetery in St Marc.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated as in
most historically Catholic countries. In Hayti it is also Fete
Ghede for Voudousants. Ghede is the Lwa of the dead, although
Baron Samdi is the gatekeeper. The Baron has a shrine at the
entrance to every cemetery. This is a black tomb, within and upon
which the followers leave offerings of candles and rum.
This Day of the Dead year 2000 we went to give honour to
Daniella, who had died only two months before at the age of 23.
Everyone in the Guillaume family are protestants this year, so we
made no offerings to Ghede. I returned at night with Perdito (
seen lying upon the tomb above ) to burn a bottle of sank etoille
rhum upon the tomb along with some candles.
