"It's like New Year's Day for the dead." That's how Sherly Turenne sums up the celebration for Ghede spirits, led by Baron Samedi, god of death in Haiti's Vodun tradition. He is anticipated with happiness as the protector of children, provider of wise advice and the last best hope for the seriously ill. Celebrated on Nov. 2, along with the Catholic All Souls' Day, Ghede (GEH-day) is also a day to remember and honor ancestors.
With a population of 10.5 million, Haiti is 35 percent Catholic and 60 percent Voodoo (VOH-doon), a religion that accommodated the practices and principles of captives from Dahomey, Yorubaland, Congo and Angola who were brought to the island during the African slave trade.
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