Next: 1 to 2 Nov 2026
Fete Gede
The Vodou festival of the Gede, the family of spirits of the dead, held at the cemeteries of Haiti on 1 and 2 November.
About Fete Gede
In Haitian Vodou the Gede are the spirits of death and fertility, led by Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte. On 1 and 2 November, devotees gather in cemeteries, especially the Grand Cimetiere in Port-au-Prince, to honour them. Followers dress in black and purple, wear top hats and dark glasses, and are mounted by the spirits, who are bold, funny and often bawdy. Offerings include food, rum with hot peppers and cigarettes. The Gede are seen as protectors of the dead and of the living, and as the ones who can both give and cure illness. The day coincides with the Catholic All Saints', and the cemetery is a site of worship rather than a spectacle.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Gede (The spirits of the dead.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Gede" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Haitian Vodou: Sam Fentress, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Baron Samedi: markbenecke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source