Fèt Gede 2026: Léogâne kept the tradition alive while gang violence silenced the capital's Grand Cemetery

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — On November 1 and 2, Haitians marked All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day with Fèt Gede, the Vodou festival of the dead. This year the tradition told two stories: in Léogâne it lived, and in the capital it was shut down by gang violence.

In Léogâne, the Temple Asótó held its traditional Fête des Guédées at Dampus on Sunday, November 1, in two parts. The first, strictly spiritual, began around 11 a.m. at Monp'tit Village, with offerings to the spirits; the hounsis kanzo and oungans wore white tunics out of respect for the dead. The second part began around 11:30 p.m., carried by the rara music of Malice Cachée, from Cassagne, with practitioners dressed in purple and black. The former national Ati, Nérat Ildéris, attended, and the temple's principal manbo, Yoleine Gateau, led the Guédée Nibo dance in homage to the dead. Across the city, celebrations ran in many places; the large downtown cemetery was turned into an amphitheater of music, ceremony, and offerings to Baron Samedi, and cleanup work was carried out in all of the commune's cemeteries.

In Port-au-Prince, the picture was the opposite. Insecurity prevented the celebration at the Grand Cimetière, the national cemetery founded in 1750 and, in normal years, the heart of Fèt Gede. Reporting from the capital said several cemeteries were inaccessible because of the violence, disrupting the traditional Fête des Morts et des Guédés ceremonies.

The tradition. Fèt Gede honors the Gede, the Vodou family of spirits of the dead, led by Baron Samedi — shown in a top hat and dark glasses — and his partner, Maman Brigitte. In cemeteries, a cross called the kwa Bawon marks the meeting point between the living and the dead. Practitioners dress in black, purple, and white, some painting their faces; they bring candles and offerings such as plantains, fish, bread, and avocados, pour coffee and grilled corn on graves, and a priest may spray cleren — rum infused with hot pepper. Drumming, singing, and the banda dance run late into the night. Haiti has no trick-or-treat Halloween of its own: October 31 flows straight into Fèt Gede, the country's own festival of the dead, held on the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls — and for many families, ceremonies continue through November.

An Kreyòl: Fèt Gede 2026: Leyogàn kenbe tradisyon an vivan, pandan vyolans gang yo fèmen seremoni Gran Simityè Pòtoprens lan.