Fun and festivities in Haiti - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

The start of Haitian carnivals usually coincides with the start of Catholic Lent. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is the traditional beginning of the festive events. Carnivals mostly take place in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and other large Haitian cities (Jacmel, Petit Goave, Petionville, Les Cayes). Carnivals in Haiti look like this: an orchestra responsible for making rhythm is walking on the streets, and different groups of people follow the orchestra. These people can be divided into groups depending on their interests. Finally, the colorful, sparkling, and dancing crowd of people follows the procession.

Each group makes small scenes that reflect some events in the history of Haiti. Such themes as slavery, the revolution of Jean-Jacques Dessalines that liberated the country, and the reign of Papa Doc, the dictator president in the mid-20th century, are also not forgotten during the carnival. The Vodou cult is represented by short versions of the most impressive rituals. There are usually several processions of people during the carnival. People simultaneously walk on different streets, heading to the main city square (in Port-au-Prince, this is the square in front of the Presidential Palace). A large concert finished the grandiose celebration.

The participants design and sew their costumes themselves. For men, a costume of a slave is the easiest to make – paper chains on the neck, arms, and legs and a waistcloth. The body is covered with a mix of coal power and oil. Women try to look eye-catching, which is not the way they dress in their everyday life, so they use cosmetics and bright fabrics. During the Lent, Haitians have one more carnival called Ra-Ra. This is the name of the Vodou priest who is considered the head of the carnival procession. This is the typical time for various rituals and folk dances and songs. Once again, drums are the main musical instrument. There are many festivals and carnivals in each Haitian town before Easter. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Common and poor people of Haiti enjoy participating in these holidays because their everyday life is hard and not very happy. Rich people and aristocrats do not participate in events of this kind. They usually watch crowds of dancing and singing people from a distance. Local manufacturers often organize product sampling on carnivals. They turn on loud energetic music in their vans and offer everyone to try their products for free. These cars move together with the procession, attracting many people. A couple of words about safety. Although Haiti is a poor country, local municipalities and the government organize police patrols that make sure that everything is fine.

The culture of Haiti is an interesting combination of African and European traditions. Slaves, who were brought to Haiti against their will, added the Vodou cult to the local culture, and European colonizers brought Christianity to the island. Slaveholders were encouraging slaves or were forcing them to convert to Christianity and become Catholics. Colonizers were prohibiting traditional African rituals and were punishing people who practiced them. The converted in Catholic faith slaves didn’t even know any peculiarities of the new religion, otherwise, they could understand that they were equal to slaveholders.

Limited information about the new religion and desire not to forget their original spiritual traditions made Africans use typical Christian attributes in their rituals and add their own gods. Because of this, saints were getting new traits typical for African Vodou spirits, loa. The merge of the two religions became so visible and undisputable that the Vatican recognized Haitian Vodou as one of the branches of the Catholic faith in the 60s of the 19th century. In the modern Republic of Haiti, the dates of Vodou celebrations coincide with Catholic holidays and are celebrated together or as parallel holidays.

Music and dancing are an essential part of Vodou rituals. Such traditional musical instruments as drums and human voices create the necessary rhythm for dances or cult songs. There are no special sacred buildings or halls in this religion. Vodou rituals can take place anywhere, even at home. In Croix-des-Bouquets, tourists can visit an art village with the same name that exhibits works of the “Vodou blacksmiths” – professional blacksmiths who are followers of George Lioto. He was the first person who used the Vodou theme in his forging work when he was making decorations for tombs in the mid-20th century. Today, local masters create their metal masterpieces inspired by the rituals and spirits of Vodou. Many of their works are exhibited in art galleries. Croix-des-Bouquets is a popular tourist destination. As expected, tourists enjoy visiting excursions to workshops and exhibitions.

If you want to know more about Vodou (the term Vodou means “sorcery”), come to Haiti but do not forget that tourists are safe when they stay in resorts and special tourist areas. When traveling across the country, it is better to do this together with a local guide who knows the island’s traditions and can speak Creole. The so-called “slum areas” are the most dangerous. Tourists shouldn’t visit them. Do not forget about precautions in public and crowded places. Do not demonstrate valuables, large sums of money, and expensive gadgets – there are pickpockets in all countries of the world.