Hundreds of voodoo worshipers mark Day of the Dead in Haiti

Hundreds of Voodoo worshipers gathered at the main cemetery in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday to mark the annual Day of the Dead festival.

Celebrations were more subdued following the passage of Hurricane Melissa and amid ongoing violence across the country.

A tomb in the cemetery is believed to house the remains of the guardian of the dead, known in Haitian voodoo as Baron Samedi.

Fèt Gede, as the commemoration is known locally, is an important two-day ritual in which people gather in graveyards to honour their ancestors.

As part of the voodoo festival, they light candles and make altars with bones, food, and jugs of moonshine rum to offer to the spirits of the dead in return for protection.

Voodoo is an official and widely practiced religion in Haiti, formed in the 16th century when enslaved people blended West African religion with Catholicism.

The more muted celebrations in the capital took place as almost 90 per cent of the city is under the control of warring gangs.

A surge of violence that started last year has left thousands dead and injured and displaced more than a million people.

In addition, authorities said at least 31 people killed and 21 others missing following the passage of Hurricane Melissa this week, mostly in the country’s southern region.

More than 15,800 people also remain in shelters.