Voodou Pilgrimage In Haiti

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July - Voodou Pilgrimage in Haiti

July is the month of Voodou pilgrimage in Haiti, when hundreds of believers cross the lands to worship the loas -voodou spirits- and to give themselves up to the elements. It is a time of celebration, purification, and abandon. For some the pilgrimage is only a holiday, but others come seeking favors or forgiveness from Catholic saints and African gods alike, and wait for the brief moment when spirits descend to earth to possess their worshipers, and man becomes divine.

The first pilgrimage fête culminates on July 16, the anniversary of a day over a century and half ago when Virgin Mary appeared miraculously in the leaves of a palm tree near a certain waterfall deep in the heart of the central mountains. Ever since, thousand of devotes have to come to site in honor of the Virgin, la vyej, and her voodou counterpart Ezili Freda, as well as for the great lord of the waterfalls Dambala Wedo and other water spirits that inhabit the spot.

Nine days later and 60 miles to the north, the second pilgrimage peaks. On foot and on mule, or in bright caravans of painted buses, travelers weave through the mountains to the northern -Plaine du Nord. Just beyond the sea-side town of Cap Haitian lies St. Jacques' hole, a pit that each time at this time is filled with mud.

Notre Dame of the Carmel Mount

The Order of Carmel gives itself an origin as old as glorious; it is believed, not without serious reasons, that this Order is only the continuation of the school of the prophets established with the Carmel mount by the Élie prophet. The disciples of this school in the forefront among were converted with incipient Christianity, and Carmel became the cradle of the monastic life since Jesus-Christ.

The purpose of the festival of Notre-Dame of the Mount-Carmel is to point out a distinguished grace granted by Marie to the Order of Carmel and him to all the Church. In the night of July 16, Simon Stock asked, with a very special enthusiasm, the protection of the Blessed Virgin on his Institute. With the rising of the dawn, Marie appeared to him, accompanied by a multitude of angels, surrounded light and vêtue of the dress of Carmel. Its face was smiling; in Its hands It held the scapular of the Order. In front of the Saint It was covered Itself with it, while saying: “This is a privilege for you and all the Carmelite friars. Whoever will die while wearing this dress will not suffer fire eternal.”

The Saint made (by the grace and for the glory of God) of the miracles to confirm the reality of this vision. It was the origin of the Brotherhood of Notre-Dame of the Mount-Carmel, for the Christians who, not being able to embrace the Rule, want to attract on them the blessings promised with the scapular. The most considerable privilege granted to the brotherhood of the Mount-Carmel after that which Marie made known with saint Simon Stock, which is that was revealed with the Pope Jean XXII: the delivery of the purgatory, saturdays after their death, of the fellow-members of the Mount-Carmel who will have been faithful to the spirit and the rules of the Brotherhood. In addition to these two privileges, there are the many indulgences attached to the scapular.

In Haiti, Notre-Dame du Mont Carmel is celebrated on July 16 in Port-au-Prince, Arniquet, Capotille, Saut D'Eau, Cayes-Jacmel.

Saint-Jacques

One of the apostles of Christ, brother of Jean saint the evangelist

They were fishing on the Lake Tibériade, companions of Simon and Andre. They were in the boat of their father and repaired the nets when Jesus, passing on the shore, says to them: “Follow me.” They followed it. With Pierre, Jacques and Jean will be closest to the apostles of Jesus. They are with Transfiguration, they enter near the small girl of Jaïre. They will be with the garden of the Olive-trees. Jacques, like Jean, wishes the first place near the Master (Marc 10. 37). He will gain the advertisement of his martyrdom there: “My cut, you will drink it.” In the same way when he wants to make fall the fire of heaven on an inhospitable village, this wire of the thunder attracts each other a reprimand. Jesus does not spare those to which it grants its privileged confidence.

Jacques drank the cut of the Lord in year 43, at the time of the persecution of Hérode. Etienne had had the place of first martyr. Jacques followed it little. At the end of the 7th century, a tradition made of Jacques the evangelist of Spain, before his death or by its relics.

In Haiti, Saint-Jacques is celebrated on July 25 in Plaine du Nord and Fermate

Saint Anne

Marie is introduced in the Gospels like a girl of Nazareth, promised in marriage of Joseph whose ascending ones are lengthily enumerated in the genealogy of the Lord.

The four Gospels, entirely turned towards the Good News of Christ, her life, her words and its Resurrection, do not mention null family of Marie, undoubtedly also fixed at Nazareth.

The tradition, as of the first centuries, call the parents of the Virgin Mary, Joachim (“God grants”) and Anne (“Grace - the gracious one”).

The imagination of the authors of the Gospels apocryphal books make a discrete couple of it, but it was quite real and it knew to accomodate, educate Marie and to wake up it in the very special grace which was his, and which they were unaware of.

The worship of holy Anne appears as of the 6th century in certain Eastern liturgies and, at the 8th century in the liturgies of Occident. Its worship is generalized before the end of the 14th century.

Sainte Anne is often represented learning how to read with his/her daughter in the book of the Bible.

In Haiti, Sainte Anne is celebrated on July 26 in Limonade, Saintarard, Thomazeau, Anse - à - Veau, Camp - Perrin, Chardonnières, Maissade, Triannon, Cap-Rouge, Trouin. Mare Rouge and P-au-Prince.

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