HAITI VOODOO FESTIVAL SAUT D'EAU VUDU WATERFALL IN JULY IN HAITI HAITI THE VUDU FESTIVAL IN HAITI
Every July, thousands of Haitians are aimed at Saut d'Eau, a waterfall located 60 km north of Port au Prince, the most important pilgrimage voodoo religion of this Caribbean country. At first the Catholic Church tried to eradicate the pilgrimage considered blasphemous; now, syncretism, believers recognize the deity as Virgen de los Milagros. Some young people are purified with a bath at the foot of waterfall. According to popular legend, in 1847 Erzulie Dantor, voodoo goddess of beauty and love, appeared at the site, on a tree, and began to heal the sick, among other miracles. Catholic priests saw this as blasphemy, cut down the tree and built a church a few yards away, in honor of the virgin. A man collects water that falls from the waterfall to purify her. On this feast of Voodoo tradition are honored Iwa goddesses with Christian ceremonies such as the veneration of the Virgen de los Milagros (known here as the Virgen del Carmen), in a symbiosis that mixes Christianity with African roots that brought by the exclavos.En Creole the official language, the term official refers to the Vodou religion of Haiti. This word comes from the word voodoo fon (divine spirit), which is still used in Benin, the African cradle vuduismo. As the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, Benin gave the slaves needed to be needed at that time in Haiti, which continued to worship their ancestral religion. Practitioners tend to flee the Anglicized voodoo term (hence the Spanish term "voodoo" with its connotations morbid and unrealistic.
     
Bodies, rare songs and music, common in voodoo celebrations, mingle with scents of herbs and potions prepared to ask favors from the spirits. Believers spend hours in the water, pray, extend their arms to heaven, they embrace. Three girlfriends purify the soul in the water that flows from the waterfall of Saut d'Eau. For them, this bath can represent both the purification and the fact that some of your desires can become reality. The word Vodou comes from Benin, vodou fon means (divine spirit.) Several women bathe to purify themselves and ask favors from the spirits. Although from Africa, Voodoo is an animistic religion in which to worship the spirits, but devotees believe in one God, the Grand Met (Grand Master), when they worship. As in Grand Met is a far cry from the physical plane, to contact him in a ceremony it must be done through a call Iwa small entities that serve as interlocutors between God and men. Today, voodoo, in various forms, is practiced in Benin, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba, where it is known as Santeria or Regla de Ocha. Similar cults, such as Umbanda, Macumba, Candomble Quimbanda and are practiced in several countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
     
Several women pray inside the Church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel. In the vicinity of this area thousands of pilgrims camped in tents, the open or as guests in the neighboring houses. They come after many hours away on foot, on donkeys and "tap tap", the typical coloradísimos and buses in search of good luck and benefits. In the poorest country of America, the cost of this trip can mean days or months of work, sacrifice will be rewarded by the blessings to the pilgrims come to bathe in the mystical waters of Saut d'Eau waterfall (jump water, in French) in Ville Bonheur, Department of the Centre. Inside the church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel. According to popular legend, in 1847 Erzulie Dantor, voodoo goddess of beauty and love, appeared at the site on a tree and began to heal the sick and perform miracles. Catholic priests saw this as blasphemy, cut down the tree and built a church a few yards away, in honor of the Virgin. For art work and syncretism, Erzulie is camouflaged in the Catholic Our Lady of Mount Caramel, or Our Lady of Miracles. Since then, Haitians consider the waters of Saut d'Eau, near the church, welfare and healing of all evil. Inside the church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel. On July 16 takes place voodoo pilgrimage in Saut d'Eau Ville-Bonheur near the capital, where believers bathe in a waterfall sacred. On the 25th of the month, devotees of the whole area in red and blue come to Plaine du Nord to celebrate the day of St. James, associated with the voodoo deity Ferraille Ogou. The next day, many participants come to Limonade, which celebrates the day of Santa Ana, associated with Erzulie.
     
Several people turn to Saut d'Eau to attend the first of the three Catholic-voodoo celebrations that attract people from all parts of the country and all social classes. In 1847 a supposed vision of the Virgin Mary on a palm tree in Ville-Bonheur, began to attract pilgrims from all over convinced of its healing properties. A church was erected there, but local devotees quickly start to match the vision with the nearby waterfalls of Saut d'eau, Cantor sacred to Erzulie, the Iwa (spirit of voodoo), which usually represents the Virgin. Some consult with hougan (priests) or mambo (priestess) by the belief that they are possessed by some of the loas, deities of voodoo. the hougan and mambo are responsible for the direction of worship, top leaders of the altars dedicated to the saints, while "are interpreters of the will of the loas." There is an almost unlimited number of Iwas, each with distinct characteristics covering sacred numbers, colors, days, food and ritual objects. Once they arrive at the waterfall stream that way people are stripped of their old clothes. Bodies, songs and music "weird", common in voodoo celebrations, mingle with the scents of herbs and potions prepared to ask favors from the spirits. Believers spend hours in the water, pray, extend their arms to heaven, they embrace. Many throw their old clothes to the sky, a symbol of a past they want to leave behind, and come with medicinal herbs. Some queried the "hougan" (priests) or "Mambo" (priestesses) who would be possessed by some of the loas, deities of the voodoo.
     
Women, men and children of all ages and walks of life gathered between Saturday and Monday last in the cascade of Saut d'Eau, where the ritual of the baths is aimed at purifying and cleansing the body. The voodoo priests, "Houganes, and priestesses," Mambo ", take up role during the three days of festivities and give the faithful the herbs with which they rub their bodies while the unstoppable torrent of water falls from the top of the mountain. Thousands of faithful, including children and pregnant women, huddle under a waterfall to get the bathroom of luck and invoked the figure of Ewa Ezili, one of the main characters of the voodoo pantheon. Under the waterspout is impossible to hear a word, the devotees dance, make ablution with bottles and bowls of pumpkin and delivered to communion with the saints, the 'praise'. These have names such as baroque and colonial Baron Samedi, Maman Brigitte, Papa Legba, Papa Damballa and Ogou. Voodoo devout Catholics flock from the remotest corners of Haiti for spiritual purification. Both Catholics and Voodoo devotees, made the pilgrimage mainly mass to perform a spiritual cleansing. The faithful perform a Catholic mass at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel, and from there made the procession with a statue of the Virgin Mary to the waterfall.
     
Near the falls, men and women sell candles, blue and white beads represent the loas and images of Our Lady of Miracles. The drums play syncopated rhythms, and some people go into a trance, talking loudly and moving frantically. Beyond the stereotypes, which describe pure voodoo as black magic rituals with dolls, animal sacrifices and undead, this is basically a peaceful religion, which the rites are a mystical experience for the uninitiated. There is also a voodoo Congo, distinguished by the use of curses, evil eyes and "dusts evil." Over 60 million people practice voodoo worldwide. The features of this religion come from an animist culture of African people, the Yoruba, from Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. Two devotees share the bathroom of luck making it more bearable if fitted with a bottle of Ron Barbancourt, Haitian rum excellence. The bathroom is done in a series of shallow pools surrounded by vegetation, which they believe are sacred waters. The surrounding light candles and whispering prayers to the followers who have had the good fortune to be possessed by the very same Erzulie. Indispensable part of the purification ritual is to immerse yourself in the waters of Saut d'Eau praying and rubbing with special herbs. The voodoo ritual demands that the person is immersed in the waters of Saut d'Eau naked or with as little clothing as possible. Most opt for swimwear, but some brave as this woman met with the rites to the letter.
     
Parishioners and supporters start at an early age. In the photograph a mother holding her daughter while little is in a trance possessed by multiple spirits of voodoo. Women and men of all ages and social classes bathe and pray to purify and cleanse your body. To reach the waterfall the faithful must cross several limestone cliffs. Contact with water represents the climax, but before that happens, the waiting can see how some of his friends move imitating the movement of snakes: they have been possessed by the African goddess Damballah-Wedo. The water falls with great force, so that it is not uncommon to realize that some who are placed under the waterfall allow their clothing to be torn apart, literally. A devout young man was possessed by a Iwa, or spirit. Iwas there are many, such as Baron, who is also known as Baron Samedi. It is the spirit of the dead and guardian of cemeteries. Of his powers depend equally procreation of the living and the putrefaction of the dead and is represented as a skeleton playing with top hat, cane and purple cape. He is often offerings with black cocks, rum, cigars and coffee and its equivalent could be San Gerardo. The voodoo priests, "Houganes, and priestesses," Mambo ", take up role during the three days of festivities and provide the faithful with these herbs rub their bodies while the unstoppable torrent of water falls from the top of the mountain. "This festival blends the traditions of voodoo and honor to the Iwa goddesses with other Christian traditions, such as the veneration of the Virgin of Miracles."
     
In the waterfalls of Saut d'Eau say that the Virgin Mary appeared in 1847. From entoces, each July 16, thousands of pilgrims bathe in these waters convinced that a miracle will heal their ailments or that their wishes will come true. The worship of the Virgen del Carmen, known in Haiti as Virgen de los Milagros, is mixed in Saut d'Eau with voodoo rites in a further example of the symbiosis in the Caribbean nation between the Catholic religion and religion brought from Africa by slaves. Rara musicians, traditional pagan bands composed of drums and wind instruments were the soundtrack to the festivities in Saut d'Eau. A man possessed by one of the voodoo spirits bathe in shallow pools of the waterfall of Saut d'Eau. Before you can be invoked at any Iwa, Legba (the spirit of the road curcas) should open the doors the spirit world. Then he presents to the four cardinal points, welcoming the sunrise and sunset, and the birth and death. Among the Iwas, is Mr. Agwe sea. In addition to passage through water, it assists people when they are born and leave the water inside the mother, and at the time of death. Devotees offer rum cakes, sheep and its counterpart is St. Ulrich. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph one of the assistants is abut possessed by the great Iwa. His eyes are completely gone and their movements are convulsive. A woman goes into a trance. The trance, at which time Iwa spirits enter the body of priests, is a standard pattern among participants in the festival and it is not surprising to observe that possessed people dropped by the torrent of water, eyes white and twitching. Though the epicenter is the water that gives the falls, all up around various places of worship where the faithful lit candles and pray in trees to pray for luck, money or love. • Loko : is the owner of the trees and has a great influence on the healers who work with herbs. • Marinette ; loa that protects against disease and helps convalescents. • Sakapta : Is the god of smallpox. • Sobo : benevolent loa grants fame. • Terremille : Spirit of protection. • Yansan : the force of the clouds and storms.
     
Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph, an adept is possessed by the great Iwa. Cries and movements are convulsive. Once at the waterfall, believers can spend hours in the water, sometimes in a trance. With his arms raised to heaven, under the falling water or lying in water courses that run on large rocks, take "the bath of luck." According to tradition, the faithful left as offering a piece of clothing or personal items. The feast of the Virgin of "Mont-Carmel" also attracts thousands of young people looking for pleasure, which leads to the NGO to multiply the distribution of condoms in fighting AIDS. Thousands of pilgrims bathe and throw his clothes to the waterfalls of Saut D'Eau, where the faithful believe the Virgin Mary appeared, which is called Voodoo Erzulie, in the 1800s. Some devotees light candles and slaughter cows in the vicinity. Many travel for days on foot or horseback to reach the shrine, 65 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Port au Prince. Some even spend most of their savings to get there. Haitian Voodoo is a fusion of the traditions of African slaves and Catholic saints practices, those that allowed them to observe their beliefs under the noses of their French masters. Today, many alternate freely between the two faiths. There are varying degrees of participation in the ceremonies. For example, a follower uninitiated, they call vodouisant can go to the ceremonies, advice and medical treatment to a houngan or mambo, and participate in activities related to voodoo. As in other religions, so that it becomes vodouisant houngan or mambo must first undergo a series of rituals and initiation ceremonies.
     
Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph one of the assistants is abut possessed by the great Iwa. Their movements are convulsive. There are many families (nanchons in Creole) of Iwa, which is invoked in different order according to the ritual. A woman goes into a trance. Although most of these houguanes are men, women can also be provided demonstrating its ability to perform that task. His name should be chosen will Manbo. But it is possible that the houngan use his powers to summon evil. In this particular case the priest is called Bokor. Hatiano Voodoo, which also has a link with cosmology, is a strong relation of Haitian popular culture, since much of the population believe in the ability of Bokor to raise the dead and make them work for their benefit . And indeed, in its capacity to cause death to their enemies. A woman bathing in one of the pools of Saut d'Eau to connect with Iwa. There are numerous diversifications (nanchons in Creole) from Iwas, which is invoked in a different order according to the ritual. The Iwa cited most frequently are those of the Rada rite, also known as sweet and good spirits. Almost all of the ceremonies consist of invocations to the Rada. At other times very specific to invoking the Petro rite, the Iwa hot, bitter or angry that you use to practice black magic. The Gede Iwa are associated with death and the passage to another world. There are also African Iwa as Ibo, Senegal and Kongo. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph one of the assistants is abut possessed by the great Iwa. There are a number of Iwas, each with different characteristics sacred numbers covering, colors, days, ceremonial foods and ritual objects. A woman goes into a trance. While the 'Voodoo' is essentially a peaceful religion based on spirits and forces of nature, which are held in ceremonies in which participants reach the mystical ecstasy, is making bandages and sacrifice roosters, most Western voodoo associated with the minority, but practiced evil side o 'Petro' (also called 'Congo'). This is black magic used for evil through curses, evil eye, creating undead zombies resurrected by the 'Bokor' or evil sorcerers with evil intentions, and sexual orgies. If there is one word that comes to mind when speaking of Haiti, this is "voodoo." Although the majority of the population is split between Catholics and Protestants, Haitians have no problems assimilating even combine these beliefs with voodoo, an exercise in syncretism. While worship a single god, Bondy, are also very powerful other beings, such as 'praise', Legba, Kalfu, Erzulie, Papa Gede or familiar spirits and forces of the universe and the 'dead'. Here, led by Baron Samedi, dressed as an undertaker, are divided into two groups: the beloved, benefactors, and the abandoned, dangerous for the living.
     
Bodies, songs and music "weird", common in voodoo celebrations, mingle with the scents of herbs and potions prepared to ask favors from the spirits. Believers spend hours in the water, pray, extend their arms to heaven, they embrace. Many throw their old clothes to the sky, a symbol of a past they want to leave behind, and come with medicinal herbs. Some queried the "hougan" (priests) or "Mambo" (priestesses) who would be possessed by some of the loas, deities of the voodoo. In fact, hougan and mambo are responsible for the direction of worship, top leaders of the altars dedicated to the saints and, in turn, "are interpreters of the will of the loas." When the sun sets, the atmosphere is calmer and the air is full of religiosity. A woman throws a tree perfume made from the leaves of "parole trois" (three words) for good luck, while praying with folded hands and turns around the trunk. Near the falls, men and women sell candles, blue and white beads represent the loas and images of Our Lady of Miracles. The drums play syncopated rhythms, and some people go into a trance, talking loudly and moving frantically. Beyond the stereotypes, which describe pure voodoo as black magic rituals with dolls, animal sacrifices and undead, this is basically a peaceful religion, which the rites are a mystical experience for the uninitiated. Every year, thousands of Haitians go to the basin of a sacred waterfall to relax and pray for a better future. Every July, thousands of Haitians are aimed at Saut d'Eau, a waterfall located 60 km north of Port au Prince, the most important pilgrimage voodoo religion of this Caribbean country, says the Mexican daily La Jornada. They come after many hours away on foot, on donkeys or tap-tap buses coloradísimos and typical-looking for good luck and benefits. In the poorest country of America, the cost of this trip can mean days or months of work, sacrifice will be rewarded by the blessings that come to the pilgrims to bathe in the mystical waters of Saut d'Eau waterfall (jump water, in French) at Ville Bonheur, Department of the Centre.
     
A teenager goes into a trance possessed by a spirit by the stream of water coming down from the waterfall in the middle of the crowd. The Vodou is the Creole name of the official religion in Haiti. A woman goes into a trance. To contact the loas and thus achieve the ritual to achieve its objectives, it must pass through a stage of trance. During that period, the ti bon ange (little soul) leaves the body, and she takes the thoughts and emotions, so make room for the loa. A Bokor is able to enter trance by their own means, but a hounsi (started) or an uninitiated person need of powerful external stimuli (such as severe pain and prolonged sexual stimulation or strong) to achieve reach this state. Many people do not succeed the first few times, but when they persist they discover that it's really not that complicated. In voodoo Congo, there are different ceremonies to achieve many goals. These objectives include: to contact a spirit or god, for help of any kind; heal or heal someone, and acts of black magic (dolls, zombification, transplantation of bodies, etc.).. In all rituals Congo, the Nkisi requires something in return, a sacrifice by the petitioner to demonstrate their dedication, commitment and loyalty. The sacrifice may be material (food, money, gold ...), physical (sex, pain, blood ...) or mental / spiritual (initiation, commitment, priest ...). Congo Voodoo always work, but not everyone is willing to offer such sacrifices ... A woman is in a trance. It was in the sixteenth century came to America voodoo religion as policeman of the African slaves chained in Haiti and Santo Domingo (what used to be called Spanish Island). Like other cults, voodoo the instant before death somehow define the future of the soul. A believer that dying should receive the visit of the 'hougans' (priests men) or 'mambo' (women) responsible for freeing his soul from the spirits that will not let him leave at the intended destination, this, at the ceremony the 'dessounen'. That is why the Ra-Ra was wearing this year as strong an emotional charge, no one thought of the 'dessounen' when Haiti was falling apart and death, multiplied by thousands arrived in the midst of the vibrations of the earthquake of 12 January. It is believed, then, that there are souls that still roam the country without being able to rise towards reincarnation. The criticisms by way of explanation appeared everywhere: "The spirits knew, we were advised, but not understood," said André days after the earthquake Ismaite, a respected 'hougan'. A woman bathes in a trance of Saut d'eau pools to connect with Iwa. But if the dances and invocations have that emotional climax intrinsic to religion, is the sound of drums that actually dominates the landscape. This is where the state of trance-white eyes, involuntary movements, gestures-idem extends like a cloak psychotropic between 'ounsis'. There are few believers that go to Ville Bonheur just to look and end up dancing in muddy puddles to worship without being able to control neither his body nor his will, to the deities of the kingdom Dahomey (nor are few, indeed, those who understand nothing and assume this ceremony as pure theater.)
     
A woman in a trance is aided by the rest of voodoo devotees. Most of Voodoo rituals begin with Christian prayers recited in French, then switches to the Creole language, a combination mainly of French, Spanish, African and 'patois' - the latter word that the French applied with contempt to what they do not understand. Begin the ecstatic dances and drums to increasingly frantic pace. The activities of sorcery and spells, contain fetishism (word derived from the Portuguese feitiço 'dating from 1760) then follow pagan cults of sacrifice, trance handling and communication with their gods, whose names indicate their origin in Dahomey. Voodoo was persecuted in Haiti since 1685, when Catholic priests, managers of plantations and slaves, banned 'songs and the assemblies of blacks with or without drums. That contributed to its spread as these were clearly anti-slavery meetings. This girl takes several minutes into a trance and a friend or relative helps return to normal status with the thumb pressing the front of his head. Followers of voodoo (vodouisants) believe in one God called Gran Met (Great Teacher) to which all show you devotion. The girl is full trance in one of the pools of Saut d'eau. Voodoo in Haiti arrived with African slaves in fifteenth and sixteenth century, and the reason of their origin is multiple and complex, because all the people who lived there contributing socio-cultural elements in their training. Sin. But before I start a religion. Usually seen as a response of the black African slave operation of the system of his time. Brutally torn from Africa, slaves experienced all kinds of moral and physical punishment. The black code that governs the colony makes the slave is reduced to a mere body, is one thing anyone who takes over Mr. colonizer. And with them, the owners often used abusive and dehumanizing methods including: forced labor, Gigot, imagination, humiliation, death penalty, interdiction of learning to read and write. So, A record of everything, voodoo is not going to be more than a cluster of defense mechanism, disclosed the slaves. What is "zombify" someone? The above-mentioned "Bokor" are evil hand of Haitian magic, they say has the power to create zombies, the process would be: Through the ingestion of a certain powder usually mixed with drinking, the victim loses his vitals, death seems perfect for his trance state is absolute, in a country where medical facilities are inadequate not an unexplained death is a matter of medical examiners. This coupled with the fact that there are high temperatures in that country makes a rule a corpse be buried within 24 hours of death, this greatly increases the chances of burying someone "alive". Family and friends try to make this woman who has entered into a trance and is possessed by a Iwa back to reality. Africa holds the supreme place in Haitian voodoo, it is said that the African country in which most influenced Haitian voodoo was the Guinea and highlights elements of voodoo are, poten, Sevier poten, poten Pitita.
     
Every July, thousands of Haitians are aimed at Saut d'Eau, a waterfall located 60 km north of Port au Prince, the most important pilgrimage Voodoo religion of this Caribbean country. In the poorest country of America, the cost of this trip can mean days or months of work, sacrifice will be rewarded by the blessings to the pilgrims come to bathe in the mystical waters of Saut d'Eau waterfall (jump water, in French) in Ville Bonheur, Department of the Centre. According to popular legend, in 1847 Erzulie Dantor, voodoo goddess of beauty and love, appeared at the site on a tree and began to heal the sick and perform miracles. Catholic priests saw this as blasphemy, cut down the tree and built a church a few yards away, in honor of the Virgin. For art work and syncretism, Erzulie is camouflaged in the Catholic Our Lady of Mount Caramel, or Our Lady of Miracles. Since then, Haitians consider the waters of Saut d'Eau, near the church, welfare and healing of all evil. A husband helps to make it easier on the verge of his wife. Beyond the stereotypes, which describe pure voodoo as black magic rituals with dolls, animal sacrifices and undead, this is basically a peaceful religion, which the rites are a mystical experience for the uninitiated. Voodoo has played a major role in organizing the struggle for independence from the Haitian people. A voodoo ceremony officiated Bois Cayman in 1791, led by the priest slave Boukman, is considered crucial in the first Haitian rebellions that led to the country's independence. Some leaders like Toussaint Louverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines banned during his tenure as the potential fear they inflicted. A woman with her eyes is almost gone into a trance at the waterfalls of Saut d'eau en Ville-Bonheur. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph, an adept is possessed by the great Iwa. Cries and movements are convulsive. In this religion, for a follower or become vodouisant priest or houngan need to first undergo a series of initiation ceremonies. During the pilgrimage that takes place in July on the village is filled with visitors invading all available resources. For the rest of year, no one comes close to this corner of Plaine du Cul de Sac but in those days people camping with ease as he can. Some come equipped with tents, others sleep at friends' houses and the wealthy and some journalists slept in the Hotel Villa Marie Robenson & Georges, a cubbyhole flophouse that makes parties pay for their beds to abusive price $ 100. It takes advantage of being practically the only hotel in town and many choose to visit the Wozo Plaza Hotel in the nearby town of Mirebalais as a much better reputation and service closer to his price.
     
A relative is trying to not hurt this woman who has entered into a trance and is possessed by a Iwa. According to popular legend, in 1847 Erzulie Dantor, voodoo goddess of beauty and love, appeared at the site on a tree and began to heal the sick and perform miracles. Catholic priests saw this as blasphemy, cut down the tree and built a church a few yards away, in honor of the Virgin. The current president, Aristide, Voodoo formally established as a national religion like Christianity. Rituals are Finali vudistas please, feed and ultimately invoke the Iwa by possession of a human body. The order of the ceremonies performed by chants and drums that beat a series of 13 strokes to symbolize the call to the gates of Ginen (Africa ancestral) to the rhythm of clapping from the audience. A woman bathes in a trance of Saut d'eau pools to connect with Iwa. Exited many Iwas, like Damballah normally painted with a snake biting its tail. The Lord of heaven and great zombie represents chaos and order in the creation of the world. It has the dual power to be death and rebirth, sickness and health, and male and female. The equivalent you have in Christianity is San Pedro and the offerings are usually given white chickens, eggs, rice and milk. Every July, thousands of Haitians are aimed at Saut d'Eau, a waterfall located 60 km north of Port au Prince, the most important pilgrimage Voodoo religion of this Caribbean country. They come after many hours away on foot, on donkeys and "tap tap", the typical coloradísimos and buses in search of good luck and benefits. In the cascade bodies and songs are mixed with scents of tea ready to ask favors from the loas. Iwas was reincarnated in Maras such as representing the love, truth and justice. It is normal to pay respects at the beginning of the ceremony that is associated with procreation and children, who often entertained in the presentation of offerings. Their counterparts in Christianity are San Cosme y San Damian and usually offer lots of food.
     
Near the falls, men and women sell candles, blue and white beads represent the loas and images of Our Lady of Miracles. The drums play syncopated rhythms, and some people go into a trance, talking loudly and moving frantically. Beyond the stereotypes, which describe pure voodoo as black magic rituals with dolls, animal sacrifices and undead, this is basically a peaceful religion, which the rites are a mystical experience for the uninitiated. Many people in Haiti believe in the existence of zombies, people returning from the grave after death to scare the living. They say this is possible thanks to Bokor, sorcerer, who say it serves the Iwa with both hands. The victims are given a kind of secret potion that causes them a lot like cataleptic state death and imprisons the individual. Then the Bokor exhumed corpse and revives the false back to the person throwing it into a trance in which she can do anything it pleases, usually hard work. The forms of slavery and possible solutions vary from place to place, according to Kevin Bales, the study's main author. Sexual exploitation in Russia, human trafficking in Moldavia, exploitation of domestic employees in Brazil, lack of due process in parts of Congo, forced marriage in China, inter-generational bonded labor in India. Climbing to the waterfall of Saut d'eau, a height of 30 meters is not easy. Like her, the pilgrims are directed at Saut d'Eau to attend the first of the three Catholic-voodoo celebrations that attract people from all parts of the country and all social classes. During the remainder of Haitians practice ceremonies in temples called colonnades, which are a kind of sheds containing an altar decorated with paintings Iwa and images of Catholic saints with stones, bottles and tied Ron Barbancourt herbs. In the middle of the peristyle stands a mitan poto (central post), the axis between the heavenly and the earthly world and the point where the Iwa enter the enclosure. The colonnades are devoted to a particular branch of Iwa and decorated in keeping with paint on doors and walls and flags collage. One of the men attending the festival voodoo Saut d'eau which is held every July in Ville-Bonheur. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph one of the participants displayed with a Christian cross. Adherents to this type of religion vudista Catholics are also considered. Voodoo is present in one way or another by almost everyone in Haiti. To contact the Grand Met is required Iwa. The first group are the Rada Iwa, and their main ceremonial color is white. Voodoo is also associated with magic. Baron Samedi is a last resort against magic, because even if a person places a curse on the verge of death, may refuse to "dig the grave", which that person can not die.
     
Near the falls, men and women sell candles, blue and white beads represent the loas and images of Our Lady of Miracles. The drums play syncopated rhythms, and some people go into a trance, talking loudly and moving frantically. At that time the Ron Barbancourt, the most typical of Haiti, takes action to keep the party is complete. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph, several people pray facing the waterfall while others celebrate this magical day. Voodoo or Vodun is a religion that originated in the cultural area of West Africa in prehistoric times. This is a theistic variant animistic belief system, equipped with a strong magical. For his direct link with cosmology and the Neolithic belief systems, their study is of great interest in the field of Paleoanthropology. Voodoo is one of the oldest religions in the world, halfway between polytheism and monotheism. The slave trade to America was a strong phenomenon of syncretism between this archaic religion and the Christian beliefs of the slave as well as with the native religions of the places where slaves were transported. Hence arise Haitian voodoo and a large number of derivatives: the Regla de Ocha or Santeria in Cuba, Candomble, Umbanda and Kimbanda in Brazil and so on. Some of these derivatives have come to Europe in recent decades, especially in the hands of returning emigrants. One of the festival attendees Saut d'eau voodoo goes into a trance. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph reads one of the assistants without clothes. Old clothes are often throwing the water and then, after purified, dressed in new clothes. The Vodun or Voodoo is a theist and magical form of animism that developed among the tribes of West Africa before the historic period in the territories of what was the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). The cultural area of the villages Fon, Gun, Mina and Ewe share common metaphysical conceptions, centered around the idea of a dual cosmological principle of divine order. On the one hand we find God the Creator (whose name can vary, but they define as Mawu) and secondly a number of gods or spirits actors, sons of the Creator. Creator God would thus cosmogonic principle, isolated from worldly affairs and Voduns gods or spirits are the actors who rule over earthly matters. Many expectant mothers who attend this festival to ask the voodoo spirits that everything goes well at the birth of his son. The maternity Iwa called Erzulie Freda and symbols are the heart and a knife. Is represented by a black Madonna and scarred mute who offer the Creole pigs and rum. The pantheon of Voduns is large and complex. There are seven children Mawu direct the cosmogonic principle, which are ethnic and are related to natural phenomena or historical and mythical figures, along with dozens of ethnic Voduns, advocates of a particular clan or tribe. Voduns there are the modern, mainly from Ghana. Various totalitarian regimes in West Africa tried to suppress Vodun with other forms of religiosity, but today flourish again. Over 30 million people practice voodoo African currently in many countries of the Gulf of Guinea. For anyone interested in the original Voodoo, history, comparative religion and anthropology, museums and markets Vodun of Ouidah and Cotonou, Benin, where it is now the official religion, "or of Lomé in Togo, is a fascinating experience. The voodoo religion involves belief in life after death, as well as the existence of various spiritual hierarchies of evil spirits, benign or amoral, called loas. These alleged influence in the underworld by the action of a hierophant.
     
The voodoo priests, "Houganes, and priestesses," Mambo ", take up role during the three days of festivities and give the faithful the herbs with which they rub their bodies while the unstoppable torrent of water falls from the top of the mountain. This festival blends the traditions of voodoo and honor the goddesses Iwa with other Christian traditions, such as the veneration of the Virgen de los Milagros. These Iwas Erzulie eg Cantor is comparable to Venus, and as equivalent to the Virgin Mary in Christianity. Cantor Erzulie is the Iwa of love. She is represented also as La Sirene, a mermaid who enchants with its beauty and trumpet. Usually gifts are delivered in the form of perfume, wine, cakes and jewelry. Although the epicenter is the water that gives the waterfall, all formed around different places of worship where the faithful light candles and pray in trees to pray for luck, money or love. With frenetic rhythms and exciting music contribute to the collective ecstasy reached at certain times of celebration. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph one of the assistants is abut possessed by the great Iwa. The Iwa cited most frequently are those of the Rada rite, which are also known as duces or good. The function of a houngan is, with the help of authorities who calls, get cures, information given, (as distinct from shamanic visions) and influencing nature. This benign purposes. The woman may also houngan if you have skills and is chosen for it, calling Manbo. You may have harmful intentions houngan or use its convening power for evil, then it is called Bokor. American Voodoo is a clear example of syncretic evolution between this theistic-animistic religion, Christian beliefs and religions of the slave local people like the Taino, which began when many African Gulf of Guinea were used as slaves in Haiti and other places in the Caribbean. Although the epicenter is the water that gives the waterfall, all around form different places of worship where the faithful light candles and pray in trees to pray for luck, money or love. At the beginning lacked a regular clergy and established rituals (the liturgy), because it was a religion pursued by slave owners who forced them to convert to Christianity. American Voodoo derive other religions such as Santeria, by nature even more mystified by Christian currents. Santeria, a syncretic expressions of the highest in the world - uses symbols and Christian saints, giving praise and image and represent previous rites, similar to voodoo.
     
The trance, at which time Iwa spirits enter the body of priests, is a standard pattern among participants in the festival and it is not surprising to observe that possessed people dropped by the torrent of water, eyes white and twitching. Voodoo has been a strong reference for popular culture because of the ability of Bokor attributed to resurrect the dead and make them work for their benefit (zombies), as well as to cause death at will. Of equal interest have proved popular as other folk elements voodoo dolls. There is a wide literature and films about it, which tends to distort and demonize what today is the religion of more than 40 million people worldwide. Person in a trance, with eyes and by jerky movements, one is possessed by the spirits of Iwa. Voodoo adherents once a year perform the pilgrimage to coincide with the date that was seen in 1847 a vision of the Virgin Mary. In general, voodoo is considered that there is a supernatural entity last, call in various ways, the most common or Mawu Bondy (sometimes referred to a partner, Mawu and Lisa) and regent of the supernatural world, but this is remains inaccessible and alien to the human world, so that communication with the supernatural world is to be carried out through the numerous eulogies (Baron Samedi, the Maman Brigitte Damballa, etc), supernatural entities also act as intermediary deities and that to the fact the backbone of voodoo, each having a different personality and multiple modes to be praised (by songs, dances, ritual symbols, etc.). While there is no uniform religious structures, a voodoo priest serves to contact the loas invoked, the loa speaking through him, which is attributed to the priests a great power, and get the generic name houngan, or in the case of a woman, mambo. The term Bokor houngan is reserved for one who uses his power for evil, would be equivalent to the word wizard. A man in a trance in one of the pools of Saut d'eau. Voodoo Festival Saut d'Eau is celebrated every year on July 16 to coincide with the day on which in 1847 appeared a vision of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees coming from all parts of Haiti are bathed in this water for purified or pra lose the Grand Master that their dreams become reality. Voodoo is the main religion of Haiti. The followers need to be possessed by a spirit Iwa to communicate with Grand Met, since this is abut far from the physical plane. In the photograph, an adept is possessed by the great Iwa. Cries and movements are convulsive. The trance, at which time Iwa spirits enter the body of the followers. From early morning, the faithful Haitians begin to go to cemeteries laden with coffee, "klerec (native of strong drink alcohol) and all types of food to offer to the spirits. Voodoo, although not a form always visible, is present in all areas of the country's life and even the blue and red colors of the flag represent Ogou, spirit of war, fire, and the cosmos. Before the ritual demands that these women consecrated to the voodoo religion purify their bodies and cleanse their sexual organs and the fluid removed from a bottle filled with herbs before receiving the spirit. Violent movements, dancing and alcohol consumption continues to characterize the times that voodoo priestesses lend their bodies to spirits of the dead. The crowd, which always remains about the priests, alive with singing and shouting to them in their contacts with the other world. Another essential feature of this religion of African origin is its deep fluency, partly because it has no liturgy or theology and partly written by the diverse influences that have had other religions. Voodoo in Africa: Christian demonisation angers followers Benin's priests try to dispel misconceptions about ancient religion practised by half the country's population But for the gentle hissing of pythons, Dah Dangbénon's voodoo temple could have been mistaken for a new-age hippy gathering. Seated in a semicircle on fraying raffia mats, devotees listened rapturously as the high priest talked at length about oneness with the cosmos. "There can be no equilibrium without respecting the universal laws of nature, and our ancient knowledge and traditions," said Dangbénon, a silver-haired man whose toenails were painted an improbable bright pink. He rolled his eyes exasperatedly when explaining how a faith that expressly forbade killing another human being had been "fetishised" by outsiders. "Voodoo is not about using magic spells to curse your enemies," said Dangbénon, whose clan has for generations overseen this temple dedicated to pythons. "If you choose to manipulate nature to harm your neighbour, it's not voodoo that harms your neighbour, it is you." Like its Nigerian cousin, juju, voodoo originated in Benin's ancient kingdom of Dahomey. Today the tradition based on nature is so interwoven with daily life that it borders on the banal in Benin. Temples are slotted in between buzzing restaurants and pharmacies, easily overlooked. Tiny carved talismans swing decoratively in doorways where chickens scratch and children dart noisily around. Elders gossiping at roadside bars spill the first sip of each beer to honour the spirits. About half the country's 9 million people are followers of the mainstream benign form of voodoo, but it has produced extreme practices. In November, officials linked the digging up of 100 graves to an underground trade in human organs for black magic rituals. In the village of Zakpota, deep in the bush, villagers said that twice during especially tough harvest years a young child had "disappeared". "The family was shunned [by villagers]. It is not something people are proud of talking about because it pained us very much," said one villager, Sylvan, who refused to say any more. But most visitors to Dangbénon's palm thatch temple, bearing bottles of fiery moonshine as a gift, want help to find a job. Healing after bereavement is also high on their list of priorities. "Colonialists demonised voodoo to the point where even the word makes you think of backwardness, something derogatory. But it's as much a part of African heritage as Buddhism is to Asia, and much older [than Buddhism]. All the good in voodoo has been tainted," Dangbénon said. In the 1990s, Benin's government overturned a decades-long ban and recognised voodoo as a great cultural tradition, even promoting a national voodoo day. For many, the endorsement was purely cosmetic: the old-time faith had long persisted alongside Islam and Christianity. At Ouidah, the cradle of voodoo, Benin's first cathedral sits opposite the distinctly shabbier Python temple. According to local lore, the temple's priests helped struggling colonial priests fund the cathedral just over a century ago. "If there's a voodoo celebration after mass I put on my pagne [traditional dress] and go to the ceremony across the street. Even the cathedral priests come and watch the ceremonies during the annual voodoo festival," said a local man, Hipolite Apovo. Not everyone approves. "Some people went to celebrate the pope's visit to the cathedral last year by heading straight to the temple afterwards. My opinion is either you practise Christianity, or you practise voodoo, or you practise nothing at all. It makes no sense to mix all of them, anyhow," said Nicephore Agontinhlo, pointedly avoiding the stalls of feathers, animal parts and beads at the town's charms market. But what rankles most in unrecognisable depictions of voodoo by Hollywood and western culture is the erasing of a rich musical and artistic contribution. "My musical inspiration comes from the sato [a ceremonial rhythm] of voodoo. Voodoo instruments and music helped shape the music of Africa," said Vincent Ahehehinnou of the renowned group Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Recently, the country's most famous priest decided to take matters into his own hands. Dah Aligbonon Akpochihala, who is in his 60s, started a crash course that allows voodoo devotees to attain priesthood in four months rather than the usual three years. A member of Benin's aristocracy, Akpochihala also takes to the radio – "a medium young and old people understand" – to make sure the tradition is restored to its rightful place. "So long as there is Africa, there will be voodoo. As I've said before, we need to bring voodoo in from the dark," he said in his urban temple, wedged between a beauty parlour and hardware shop, and running a side business in photocopying.
     
Each Lwa is distinguished not only by their character traits and their performances, but also by their tastes and preferences: Ercilia is inextricably linked to the pair of white doves and fish fried in oil, sweet and to the fine, the merengue and the liquid. Ogun Almost all are related to excessive intake of alcohol and the luas hell, with the sacrifice of boars sure sign of bestial power. The saints "eat" like men, are fed with blood and other parts offerings of animals and other food delivered to them in ceremonies known, most significantly, with the name of many-lua. The offerings are the embodiment of the contractual relationship between divinity and his horse: this is the offer in payment for the services received, well-being achieved and, in short, the work done by the latter in a period. Also, expecting good results as a result of future performance. Where Lwa do not get what was offered in return for his work, takes revenge on his "son" in various ways. So the balance in the relationship server / lua is achieved by complying with the "sacrifices" agreed between them. The offering, in effect, is a clear indicator of this relationship. If a Lwa rejects a food, is an indication that something has been wrong and that divinity is upset. All should be available in a rigorous manner many of the adverse reactions will occur as targeted. When no Ercilia takes possession of your horse is because it expresses the rejection and then must repetírsele the ceremony, usually the following year. A Voodoo practitioner may have come to acquire the experience and conditions for their work as independently. In that case you need to build a house (known in Haiti caye-Mystere (cai-Mist) intended exclusively for the Luas, separated from his dwelling house. For different materials used clothing. In rural areas the most common is that this church, usually small, have palm board walls or used palm fronds and thatched roof, that is, is a hut. In the existing voodoo cult centers in urban areas, these "houses of the mysteries" or luas are constructed with a greater variety of materials, ranging from tables and walls to ceiling masonry or concrete zinc. are frequently found living in homes of Haitians and their descendants small altars built in an unlikely place visible one bedroom, and in these immigrants, usually placed images of Catholic saints, bushes and other objects own voodoo. On the floor of that room when it comes from a pastor could be also seen on a carpet bag jute or, on the surface of the soil, objects such as spools of thread, coins, etc.. and maybe a table with other ritual objects. A couple of Haitians by the waterfall of Saut d'eau. Haitian Voodoo officiants are simplicity in dress and attributes that attach to it as a clear religious reference. Not so among his descendants who hold similar hierarchies in those notes, however, an overload in the visible elements. So are multiple types of seed bead necklaces which are made with those sold in some public places. These insert other objects such as plates and key chains called "tears" of crystal chandeliers. In a note collar dozens of spools of sewing threads of different colors. It is clear that the cultural function added decorative elements. Not lacking in these attributes gold medals with pictures of St. Barbara or the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre.
  THE HAITI VOODOO FESTIVAL IN SODO