Voodoo rites to Papal prayers: All Souls’ Day observed world wide
EFE · Agencia EFE ·
Discover how the world commemorated All Souls' Day 2026, from Voodoo practitioners braving gang sieges in Haiti to Pope Leo XIV's prayers for peace in Rome.
International Desk, (EFE).- The observance of All Souls’ Day mobilized millions of people worldwide on Monday, featuring stark contrasts marked by faith and violence: while believers in Haiti braved the siege of armed gangs to celebrate the Voodoo festival of Guédé, Pope Leo XIV led a moving mass from Rome, calling for an end to the «senseless violence of war.»
At the Kagouye cemetery in the Pétion-Ville commune, southeast of Port-au-Prince, an area not under direct gang control, several thousand Voodoo practitioners gathered for their annual gathering with the deceased.
In front of the Cross of Baron Samedi, leader of the Guédé spirits and the dead, dozens of Voodoo adherents gathered to offer tributes. They poured ‘clairin’ (rum distillate), lit candles, prayed, and recited chants to ask for employment, travel opportunities, and, above all, protection.