Voodoo (Vodou) is very much misunderstood. It's a religion that believes a supreme being rules through a large number of local and specialized deities, and they communicate to believers through trances, dreams and possessions. It originated in Ghana and Benin in Africa and was brought to Haiti with slaves and has been in the Caribbean for over 100 years. In Haiti, Vodou has been combined with Catholicism, having been influenced by missionaries over many years.
Over two weeks, we went from the capital Port-a-Prince, to Limonade in the North, which borders on the ocean, viewing a dozen Vodou rituals on both land and in water. In most of the ceremonies, there were drums and dancing and people worked themselves into trances in which they believed they were taken over by animals or spirits.
The most common request during Vodou ceremonies was for help was from the spirit Erzulie Frieda, which is the deity you call on if you have problems with love, like the woman to the right in the photo above. She was heartbroken and meowed like a cat rubbing up against every man at the ritual, drinking a liter of rum, but was completely sober after the one hour ritual.
April and August are the best months to see the major rituals in Souvenance and Soukri. Always bring bottles of 3 star rum as a donation to the priest (the oungan) running the voodoo ceremony. It got us in every time.Contrary to popular belief, its fairly safe, though even my bodyguards would not take me into the voodoo ceremonies run by street gangs in the capital, Port-a-Prince. Nevertheless the political and safety situation is subject to change quickly, so exercise caution, wherever you go in Haiti.
While in the north, near Cap-Hatien, it is worth a trip to see the Citadel. It is a palace that was built by 20,000 former slaves over 15 years starting in 1805. The Citadel was built to protect Haiti from the French after their rebellion and is worth seeing.
Best Time to Go to Haiti: April for the Vodou ritual in Soukri and August for the ritual in Souvenance. In general though, its best to go in the winter for perfect weather.
How Long to Stay: 7 days
General Costs: Medium
What To Do: Hire at least one body guard and visit Port-a-Prince briefly, Soukri, Souvenance, Limonade and anywhere else your guide or guards can find a ritual going on, visit the Citadel
UNESCO World Heritage Site? No for the Vodou areas but yes for the Citadel
Weather: Hot to very hot, except in the winter
Language: French and Creole/pidgin
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