Vodou Followers Mark Day of the Dead

November 2, 2006

Source: Sun Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-c9ahemidig02nov02,0,2787354.story?coll=sfla-news-broward

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Thousands of Vodou followers flocked to Haiti's largest cemetery on Wednesday to rouse sacred spirits and remember lost relatives in raucous Day of the Dead celebrations.

Followers passed beneath a crumbling archway adorned with a black skull-and-crossbone flag that read "Everyone is welcome." They placed flowers and candles at the graves of relatives while revelers danced and sang to music designed to awaken the god of the dead.

"I came to pour some rum, light my candles and call the dead," said Delis Charles, 39, a Vodou priest, or houngan.

Two-thirds of Haiti's 8 million people are said to practice Vodou, a blend of Christian tenets and African religions.