Category: Rituals & Ceremonies
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I wanted to share this because many people outside Haitian Vodou have never heard of Makaya or understand why this time of year is so important to us. I sat down with Houngan Samba’L of Lakou Cecile to talk about “What Is Makaya?” In Kikongo and Swahili, the word kaya refers to a single “leaf”…
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Fèt Gede, the Festival of the Ancestors, is celebrated each November in Haitian Vodou as a time when the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin. It marks the moment when the Gede spirits the Lwa who are the guardians of the graveyard, masters of life, death, and rebirth, come forward to warn,…
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Drumming is the heartbeat of Vodou ceremonies, serving as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. The rhythmic patterns played on traditional drums, such as the manman, segon, and boula, create an energetic frequency that calls forth the Lwa. Each spirit has its own rhythm, known as a tanbou, which signals its presence and…