Fet Gédé will be in a few days! A must of Voodoo!
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Fet Gédé Is held in Haiti on 1 and 2 November. Known as the Festival of the Ancestors, Fet Gédé is the Voodoo equivalent of Mardi Gras, Mexican Day of the Dead and Halloween, all in one.The Iwa Gédé (Maman Brigitte and Baron Samedi) are the guardians of cemeteries and gentlemen of the eroticism. They wear violet and black colors, arrive to the cementeries in the order that suits them, and are too much degenerate and their behavior instantly change the tone of any ceremony.
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During these days, people dress up, goes out and walks to the cemetery, clean the graves and “feeds” to their ancestral dead with gifts of his own table.At the entrance of the cemetery, a large cross on a pedestal is the residence of Baron Samedi, the head of the great family of Iwa Gede. He’s the one who people goes to ask additional protection and is also one of the most important practices of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Around the blackened crosses, adorned with candles, skulls and marigolds, people gather to prepare and pour a liquid sacred honor to Baron.
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The crowd is suffocating sometimes, and sometimes it is difficult to wander around the cross. Always is assured the presence of the Baron and Madame Brigitte, who often climb to the top of the cross, initiating beginners practice and predict the future . There are people possessed by Gede, clearly bleached corpses that appear, and lascivious act in the spectators, mostly foreigners.
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The uniform of the Gede often consist of black and purple, hat and sunglasses with mirror lenses, but lately we can see that this tradition has been degenerating, and we can observe the presence of little formal clothing, T-shirts and sports caps . The Gede are wild. Dance to the Rara bands, mimicking the sexual act in a very evident way.
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Participants spend the time behaving provocatively, drinking Klevin (white rum), or even blowing this liquor in his genitals, dancing following the music rhythm. Some dance with a cane, walking stick known as Gede can, and often use this as a sign of manliness: they are very concerned with fertility, sex and healing. As such, they are the special protectors of children and ensure them to make sure they become strong adults. Strong adults to have sex and create more children, therefore the Gede promote the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Some witches use these days for activities of quackery and we can observe practices that apparently heal some ailments of the practitioners.
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In the peristyle (Voodoo temples), present throughout the country, there is music, dancing and feasting. Rituals usually begin at night, eating, drinking and dancing until well into the night. They start with the beating of drums, series of 13 hits: all ceremonies begin like that. Chances are good fun, as Gede dances are characterized by lewd and obscene, and often their efforts to laugh at the participants in the ceremonies: a way to make mockery of death and invited to celebrate life in the very act to honor the dead. It is a good time for the initiation of Voudousiant. The Iwa possess or “mount” to the participants, which often form circles and wear white clothes. Being possessed is the fundamental element of a voodoo ceremony. Late in the morning usually starts on the slaughter of animals.
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This reportage was done during the 1st and November 2, 2008. The photos were taken in the main cemetery of Port-Au-Prince, in the cemetery of Brouillard (Cité Soleil) and a Family Peristyle around Port-Au-Prince.
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