November 1 and 2, is the start of Fèt Gede, the "Festival of the Dead". Haitians across the country join each other in song and dance to celebrate lwa (spirits of Voodoo). It; is celebrated throughout the month of November.

Fete Gede is a traditional vodou feast which celebrates the lwa (spirits) of death and fertility. Though it shares calendar space and ideology with the Roman Catholic Day of the Dead, Fête Gede derives from African traditions preserved largely unchanged through the centuries. The Fete Gede celebrations are unique to Haiti, people dress up in black, white or purple, take to the streets, dance their communion with the ancestors, and walk-in processions to the graveyards where they feed their ancestral dead with the gifts of their own table.

But first, paraders must obtain permission to enter the cemetery at the ceremonial grave of the "first man", Bawon Samdi, and the first woman, Manman Brijit. The gede are a very large family; Bawon Samdi represents the father, Manman Brijit the mother, and they’re followed by Bawon Kriminèl, Gede Nibo, Gede Loray, Brave Gede, and Gede Zanrenyen, who together form an escort for all gede.

Bawon Samdi (/Samedi), also known as Papa Gede, presides over the festivities. Papa Gede's colors are black, white and purple, and he is often characterized smoking cigars, wearing a top hat and sunglasses – frequently with only one lens. Some say this is because Bawon Samdi sees both worlds, which gives him an uncanny resemblance to the one-eyed god Odin of Nordic mythology, who also tread the path between the dead and the living.

Maman Brigitte also known by Gran Brigitte Is a death loa (or lwa) and the wife of Baron Samedi in Haitian Vodou. She drinks rum infused with hot peppers and is symbolized by a black rooster. Gran Brigit is similar to Oya, an orisha of winds, lightning, and violent storms, death and rebirth.