Culture and history info

HAITIAN CULTURE, VOODOO AND CARNIVAL

Hollywood clichés should be left aside when talking about voodoo religion. It is an essential part of Haitian culture, as is the Creole language spoken by millions of people. Voodoo temples painted in bright colors and with the image of a "Iua" -one of the saints of this religion- abound in all corners of the country. Those tourists who so wish can participate in voodoo ceremonies: a bottle of rum is sometimes the price of admission. The most popular voodoo festival occurs in November, is the "Fete Gede", dedicated to the dead. The faithful of Baron Samedi, one of the "luas" of the voodoo pantheon, drink rum and dance in cemeteries, to celebrate life and remember their loved ones.

Haiti is a small country but very culturally rich. In February, the carnival attracts many tourists. The most spectacular for its costumes is the Jacmel carnival, an old coffee port in southern Haiti. There the remarkable French-style colonial architecture will surprise more than one. Jacmel is also famous for his crafts, for example, the figures "in papier maché". Near Jacmel are the Bassin Bleu waterfalls, there are also postcard beaches in neighboring Port Salut.

In short, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, towards Tabarre, there is the Caña de Azúcar Historical Park, located in what was a French plantation from the year 1700. Here the harsh history of Haitian sugar is told and you can see the machinery of the sugar mill created in 1901. Today the facilities are also the site of the jazza festival in Port-au-Prince. On this tour, there will be some who remember that the father of the writer Alexandre Dumas - the famous author of "The Three Musketeers" - was born in Haiti. He was the son of a French slave and aristocrat and would become one of the generals favored by Napoleon, at least for a time.