Fèt Gédé: Linking the living and the ancestors in Haitian Vodou

PORT-DE-PAIX — November is Fèt Gédé for Haitian Vodou practitioners, a sacred time to honor the ancestors by communing with the gédé loas, deities in the Vodou pantheon who represent the forces of death and fertility. Along with the Feast of the Dead—and coinciding with the Catholic All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day— the first days of the month feature ritual procession and festive ceremonies as Vodouists call on the loas to bless, protect and guide them. 

Throughout Haiti, local cemeteries come alive with ceremonies lasting late into the night, lit candles adorning the resting places of loved ones, the faithful pouring libations in communion and some devotees taking on the characteristics of the loas invoked. Believers feel a renewed connection between the visible world and the unseen, between the living and those who came before.

Hervé Germain, emperor of Vodou in the Northwest Department, shared key aspects of the tradition with The Haitian Times from his experience. Based in Port-de-Paix, Germain spoke from an altar filled with representations of the loas. He explained:

 “The servants of Brav-Gédé must wear purple and black necklaces that can animate these spirits in order to incorporate them into their own.”

Hervé Germain, Emperor of Vodou in Haiti’s Northwest 

• November 1 kicks off the month with the Feast of the Dead, or La Toussaint. The spirits of the dead are freed to visit with family and friends. The living go to their graves to bring flowers, favorite foods and drinks, and items of great meaning to the dead loved ones.

• On November 2, Fèt Gédé begins. Festivities last through November 30, Saint Andrew’s Day, which marks the first day of Advent in the Catholic tradition.

Main loas celebrated during Fèt Gédé

Brav-Gédé refers to a husband-and-wife pair of loas named Brav and Gédé from which the other gédé loas originate, Germain says. They are often fused into one when people speak about them because they operate as a couple. At times, the faithful call out ‘Papa Gede’ to appeal to them. The annual celebration is named after Gédé, the wife. 

Bawon Samdi rules the cemetery’s affairs and spirits as they move between life and death, guiding the souls of the dead and protecting those who visit the tombs. As the first dead buried in a cemetery, he acts as spokesperson between the living and dead. He works with other bawon stationed elsewhere to maintain order. 

Grann Brijit is the mother of all loas, the first lady married to the cemetery’s Bawon Samdi. A powerful female spirit, she represents strength, justice, protection and compassion. She’s also seen as the defender of women and victims, that is people who died innocently under mysterious circumstances.

Other loas celebrated during Fèt Gédé

Gédé Loa Characteristics Bawon KriminèlBrings justice for victims, punishes wrongdoersBawon LakwaPhilosophical loa representing reflection on life and deathBawon LentoGuards the cemetery portal (gate)Gédé BábácoServes as a mediator and guide during the transition between life and deathGédé DoubyeHelps communicate with distant or difficult spiritsGédé LimyèBrings light and understanding to death and mysteryGédé NiboSpirit of youth, represents those who die youngGédé PlumajKnown for speed and agility, often depicted with feathersGédé ZariyenReveals hidden truths about deathTi Malis GédéTrickster spirit, messenger between the living and the dead

Specialty items featured in Fèt Gédé

Common outfits and makeup 

• Many celebrants often wear white clothing, a symbol of renewal or rebirth, to walk in procession to a local cemetery for the rituals. 

• Some paint their faces in white, while others use more ornate makeup on their faces and various body parts to get into the spirit.  

• Some devotees — the newly initiated in the religion, priests, priestesses and other leaders — may wear the designated purple and black clothing or accessories such as scarves and beads in reverence or preparation to take on their loa’s traits for the festivities.

• Other items vary depending on the loa the devotee plans to call on. For Brav, for example, the main items are white cotton balls to stuff the nostrils and white powder on the chests. 

Foods and beverages 

• Considered “cold” deities because Brav and Gédé reside underground, their devotees use spicy peppers to draw them out. Practitioners drink or eat hot foods such as scotch bonnet, chili peppers and spicy ‘tchaka mayi,’ a staple corn stew with meat chunks, to heat up their bodies and spirits.
• Depending on the location of a sosyete, a collective of Vodouists, some might serve regional foods or beverages, such as yams, coffee, cane liquors, rice and beans.

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