How do you celebrate Fet Gede?

During Fet Gede, Voodoo practitioners offer special food and drink, perform rituals, and prepare altars. Worshippers also remember their family members by leaving offerings at their graves. These special traditions attract the dead to the living.

What does Gede mean in Haitian Creole?

The Guede (Haitian Creole: Gede) also spelled Guédé or Ghede, are the family of loa that embody the powers of death and fertility.

What is fed Gede?

Fèt Gede – the Haitian Day of the Dead – is an annual tradition when practitioners of vodou parade through the streets, possessed by the spirits of the dead (gede) Every year, on November 1 and 2, Haiti becomes the stage for a unique celebration: Fèt Gede, the “Festival of the Dead”.

How does Haiti celebrate the Day of the Dead?

Fèt Gede, Haiti’s Day of the Dead, is typically celebrated during the first few days of November replete with altars, veves (ground drawings made to attract the gede), special food and drink offerings, and, most importantly, sacred dances and polyrhythmic drumming.

What is a gede in Voodoo?

The Ghede. Within the voodoo pantheon are a family of loa, or spirits, called the ghede. Also written as guédé or gede, these are the voodoo spirits of death and fertility. Papa Ghede is the dominant spirit, and is often portrayed in his formal attire of black tails, a top hat, and darkened sunglasses.

Is Day of the Dead Voodoo?

Day of the Dead Voodoo Rituals Celebrated in Haiti After Deadly Hurricane Matthew. In the first two days of November, thousands of Haitian Voodoo (or Vodou) believers visit cemeteries to pay their respects to deceased ancestors and the spirits of death during a celebration known as Fete Gede.

What is a gede in voodoo?

Who celebrates Fet Gede?

The Fete Gede celebrations are unique to Haiti, a blend of traditions brought over from Africa during the slave trade, mixed with colonial Christianity and a dash of ritual from the original Taino inhabitants of the island. 7.

Who was Papa Legba?

Legba represents a West African and Caribbean Voodoo god. This god has many different names depending on the region in which he is worshipped is most commonly known in Haiti as Papa Legba. Papa Legba serves as the guardian of the Poto Mitan–the center of power and support in the home.

What does Papa Legba actually look like?

Appearance. He usually appears as an old man on a crutch or with a cane, wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat and smoking a pipe, or drinking sparkling water. The dog is sacred to him. Legba is syncretized with Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, and Saint Anthony.