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Summary Haitian voodoo practitioners travel to Saut d'Eau for religious pilgrimage at sacred waterfall.
Thousands of Haitian voodoo believers trekked through the rough countryside in an annual pilgrimage that, like all things Haitian, fuses Catholicism and voodoo with a bit of Caribbean joie de vivre.On July 16, Haitians mark the festival of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of Haiti. Believers say that 150 years ago, the Virgin Mary appeared in palm trees in the small, normally quiet village of Ville Bonheur, located near the sacred waterfalls of Saut-deau. Catholics attended mass at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and participated in the religious festivities in commemoration of that event.The celebrations are often accompanied by a good deal of free-for-all partying. Candles and prayers, dancing and drumming give way to drinking, good food and a festive atmosphere.This year, an avalanche of rocks came tumbling down on the faithful, killing four, which saddened many of the pilgrims, including Reynaldo Duveil.
