The Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” attracts millions of people worldwide to honor the lives of those who have passed on with festive celebrations, parades, feasts, flowers, and more. During Day of the Dead, families create altars with pictures, favorite foods, and marigolds to welcome the spirits of ancestors who have died for a reunion. The holiday combines ancient Aztec traditions with Catholic rituals from “All Saints’ Day” and “All Souls’ Day,” creating a joyous time to celebrate life through music and dancing on November 1 and 2. The day serves as the passageway between the spiritual realm and the real world.
But Mexico isn’t the only place that honors the life of ancestors who have passed on. In fact, many of these traditions observed in Mexico and around the world have roots in African cultures. Here are destinations across the African diaspora with festivals and rituals where the dead are honored and not feared.
Celebrations And Festivals
Fèt Gede – Haiti
Every year on November 1 and 2, Haiti celebrates Fèt Gede or “Festival of the Dead.” Similar to the ancestral celebrations in Mexico and among Latin communities, Fèt Gede pays respect to loved ones who have passed on. Fèt Gede traces its origins to African ancestral traditions, preserved across oceans and centuries in modern-day Haiti.
Each religion celebrates Fèt Gede differently. Catholics will meet at church for a mass dedicated to the deceased, along with those who are Protestants. Practitioners of Vodou commemorate the spirits of their ancestors, known as the gede, in the most festive way.
The festival’s main events take place in cemeteries, especially the Grand Cimetière in Port-au-Prince, where it’s customary to bring offerings of coffee, rum, and spicy foods to the graves of loved ones. Make no mistake about it: Fèt Gede is a vibrant affair. Participants often dance to polyrhythmic drumming and dress in the gede spirit colors of black, purple, and white.
The guardian of the dead, Baron Samedi, is a central figure in the festivities, embodying a joyful and irreverent spirit. He reminds people to face death with humor and courage.
Día de los Muertos – Afro-Mexican Communities
Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, is one of Mexico’s most cherished traditions. While it’s often associated with Indigenous Mexican culture, it also has roots in African spirituality. You see the remnants of African rituals in Veracruz, a region that is home to the largest Afro-Mexican culture. The celebration has a different energy as it’s deeply connected to the sea.
What people will find today are colorful altars inspired by the sea and fishermen. Fishermen hold a special place in the hearts of people in Veracruz because their work is so closely tied to the sea, which symbolizes a link between life and death. The ocean is seen as a metaphor for the cycle of life in the region. The parades and altars are all inspired by the spirit of the sea.
According to the Women’s Caucus for Art, approximately 200,000 enslaved people were brought to New Spain, now Mexico, primarily in the Veracruz area. Enslaved Africans contributed to the Mexican tradition by merging their own religious beliefs with Indigenous and Catholic practices.
For Afro-Mexicans, the Day of the Dead is celebrated with traditions that have been taught for generations. In many African cultures, dancing carries on tradition and spreads knowledge about culture and its people to the next generation.
During the Day of the Dead, Afro-Mexicans perform a ritual dance ceremony known as the “Dance of the Devils,” Danza de los Diablos. The ritual dance is a significant tradition created by enslaved Africans. Participants wear distinctive masks representing devils or other spiritual figures. The dance honors the ancestors and the spiritual world.
Famadihana – Madagascar
Many cultures believe that the spirit or soul departs from a person once they die. But for the Malagasy people of Madagascar, it’s thought that the spirit can only travel into the afterlife once the body has fully rejoined the earth and their bones have turned into dust.
According to Malagasy families, as long as the body remains, then the spirit is still part of this world and not the afterlife. That’s why families care for their loved ones and ancestors through a sacred death ritual called Famadihana.
The celebration only happens every five to seven years. Also known as “the turning of the bone,” famadihana is a time when the dead are exhumed for a one-day celebration and reunion. Families give their ancestors the love, attention, and care they need until they can continue their spiritual journey.
During Famadihana, tombs are opened, and the bodies are carefully wrapped in special straw mats before being removed. Bodies of ancestors are gently laid out side-by-side on the ground. They are cleaned and dressed in fresh burial cloths, traditionally made of fine silk.
Families can ask their ancestors for blessings and share family news with them. The spirits of ancestors are revered in Malagasy culture and believed to help protect and bless the family. It’s also customary for families to eat, dance, and commune with their loved ones.
Famadihana can last for two days. When the festival comes to an end, ancestors are returned to the family grave along with gifts, money, and alcohol to keep them well looked after until the next ceremony.
Rituals
Assin Manso Slave River Site – Ghana
The Assin Manso Slave River Site in Ghana is also known as Donkor Nsuo and Nnonkonsuo. Located in Ghana’s central region, this was the final slave market and resting stop before captured Africans were taken to the Elmina and Cape Coast slave castles. Most notably, the river is historically known as the last bathing place for those who were enslaved before they were forced to cross the river.
Today, the site provides a place of remembrance and a spiritual homecoming for people of African descent. There’s an archway with steps leading down to the river, known as the “First Bath of Return,” symbolizing a spiritual homecoming. On the Memorial Wall of Return, diaspora descendants can write their names, offer prayers at the river, and reflect on their ancestral paths.
Candomblé Terreiros of Bahia – Brazil
Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Candomblé and Umbanda, have elaborate systems for honoring and interacting with ancestral spirits. In the Candomblé religion, which is rooted in Yoruba, Bantu, and Fon traditions, practitioners worship Orishas (Yoruba deities).
Priests and priestesses perform rituals in sacred spaces called terreiros to ensure the deceased pass peacefully into the spirit world and do not become dangerous wandering spirits. Terreiros are invaluable for communities and serve as spiritual refuge, contributing to cultural, social, and economic well-being. This plays a significant role in preserving, celebrating, and promoting Afro-Brazilian heritage and cultural identity.
Throughout cities like Salvador, Bahia, Candomblé Terreiros are places of community worship. Candomblé practitioners use the Terreiros to connect with their Orishas and engage in religious ceremonies, including offerings, prayers, oracles, and initiations. These rituals provide spiritual guidance, healing, and a sense of community support.
Nine Nights – Jamaica
One distinctive way to mourn in Jamaica is through a ritual known as “Nine Nights.” The cultural tradition takes place on the ninth night after a person’s death, but it’s before the funeral and burial.
According to Jamaican traditions, the journey from this world to the next isn’t complete until nine nights after a person’s death. However, as Catholics and Cultures point out, there is a malevolent ghost, or duppy, of a deceased person that might linger after death. It could inhabit its old house or exact revenge on people who have mistreated them while alive.
On the ninth night, the duppy is said to depart permanently. Nine Nights is a celebration of a person’s life and is not a time for mourning. Proper respect for the dead body and the duppy are said to prevent retribution or other harm from a duppy. Otherwise, the soul of a dead person can wreak havoc on a community. Nine Nights involves singing, dancing, and drinking.
