Day of the Dead--November 2017

 

All Saints’ Day at Droulliard Cemetery in Port-au-Prince. (Photo by John Carroll–November 1,2017)

Today is November 1 which is All Saints’ Day, a Roman Catholic holiday. Tomorrow is All Souls’ Day and is called Day of the Dead in Haiti. Both days are national holidays.

These two days are replete with voodoo worship. At the cemeteries, people ask the spirit of Baron Samedi, the gatekeeper of cemeteries, for good health, jobs, and luck. And coffee and fruit are offered to the spirits of their deceased loved ones. Haitians also honor Gede, the god of the dead.

All Saints’ Day at Droulliard Cemetery in Port-au-Prince (Photo by John Carroll–November 1, 2017)

 

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org