Fete Gede: Vodou Ceremony of the Dead

The Gede spirits have a hierarchy of their own. It begins with the Baron, the leader of all the spirits who preside over the dead. Alongside the Baron is Gran (Grandma) Bridget; the female spirit who leads at his side. The Baron is not necessarily the force responsible for the death of humans but in many ways, he decides how death is allowed to occur between people, especially when spirits are in any way involved. Under the Baron, other subordinate barons exist to watch over us and lead on the other side. This group can include the Criminal Baron, the Saturday Baron, Baron La Croix (or Baron of the Cross). Underneath the more famous Barons, we have many lesser known spirits who may be regional or specific to an ethnic group or tribe that has since lost their complete knowledge of these spirits. They are no less significant as they guide and watch over us. 

At the level beneath, we have the ancestors and the dead. When we die, we either go to rest or continue watching over the people we left behind. Not everyone will take on the mantle and responsibility of an ancestor. It is a tremendous responsibility to be a guide. Gede Season is a time to celebrate all those who have transitioned to the afterlife and the contributions they either had or have in our lives. We celebrate our spirit guides, our ancestors and the ones we love who have left us on this physical plane. As a Vodouisant (a practitioner of Haitian Vodou), we spend an entire year relying on our spirits for a host of things that they take on for our sake. Ceremonies are a time to thank our ancestors and lwa (the Vodou Spirits) for all that they do. 

The Gede Ceremony is also a time to "feed" the spirit. This will be done through offerings of peppered vodka, wine, rum, spicy fish or herring served with figs. The Gede are a wonderful and lively group of dead folk! Their ceremonies are some of the wildest, most interesting you can have. Today's society finds many ways to distance themselves from the idea of death but death should not be feared. It is simply the passage from one kind of existence to the next. The Cemetery Baron will welcome you into the next life and if you build a relationship with him before that time comes, he is happy to protect you from those who would send you there in a hurry. 

The Gede can be very sympathetic to the human condition because they deal in death; one of the things that defines our mortality. If there is a group of spirits people should become more comfortable with, it is the ancestor and Gede partnership that exists alongside us.

Photos sourced from: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/gallery/lifestyle/021117/fete-gede-haitians-celebrate-voodoo-festival-of-the-dead.html