This is a completion of SF0 International

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I've completed this task in Haiti (yes, that Haiti), in both Port-au-Prince and Jacmel.

One of the most important things my friend and I wanted to do when we visited Haiti was to attend a Vodou (Voodoo) ceremony. Success! Thrice!

The first was the most harrowing. We decided to visit the cemetary in Port-au-Prince. This is an above-ground cemetary, so the graves are actually rows upon rows of tombs. When we got in (by finangling our way past the guards) one of the guys at the guard station came with us as a guide. He asked if we want to see the "Baron". As we got deeper and deeper into the cemetary, we got more and more worried, due to the fact that this guy chose to bring along two of his friends. This is a bit unnerving for a guide to do. But we turned a corner and stumbled upon a closed-up church. Next stop was the "Baron", or Baron Samedi. A few more graves back, we come across an opening and inside is a group of about 20 people chanting and screaming around a man and a woman who are flailing about as if possessed. The woman is topless. The man falls into my friend's arms. Our guide has to pull him free. The cross is covered in chicken blood.
There was a mural of skeletons dancing.
We ventured further into the cemetary to see "Baron la Croix". We approached it, but began to feel a bit overwhelmed due to the fact that our "guide" had motioned to a man carrying a shotgun, who we then saw on the other side of Baron la Croix.
We left in a hurry.

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The second was in Jacmel, where a friend of a friend invited us to a ceremony. Late at night, we went from a main street to a side street to an alley not more than two shoulder-widths wide. Inside was a thatched covered courtyard with a large central stake.
Everyone was chanting and dancing with the rhythms of the drums. We joined in, at first just sitting, then chanting and then dancing as the spirit overtook us. The rum was flowing like water. Even with me not partaking in the liquid refreshments, I still was overcome by the thumping of the drums. The oungan (priest) drew a vèvè (vodou design) on the ground for Kouze, who then inhabited one of the participants. Sunglasses were put on her, with one of the lenses popped out. Everyone fished in their pockets to offer something to her. I gave her a cigarette and 5 Goud. She seemed pleased with this. She then began to eat. A grand table of offerings were previously prepared, consisting of bread, meat, and other sundries. She then took the great bucket of food with her and began offering small bits to the other participants. I ate a bit of the goat meat. Then, she attempted to pass off the entire bucket to each of the worshipers. Each one recoiled in fright, as anything one gives to Kouze one recieves five-fold, but anything one recieves from Kouze will lose to Kouze five-fold. Unwittingly, I had the bucket placed upon my lap. She motioned to me to eat, eat, enjoy! The others screamed! Non! Non! Pa manje! They pulled the bucket from me and thrusted back in her hands. A man was then possessed by an unknown spirit.
He took some powder and began sprinkling it on everyone. I fell into an ecstatic dance and at some point, he took a big mouthful of clarian (a type of Haitian rum) and began to spit it all over my head and face. As everything began to die down, we left, but with instructions to come back the next day.

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The next day, we met the Oungan for a special, more personal ceremony. He took us to his personal oumfor, which appeared to be a more permanent affair, with paintings of the different spirits (in the forms of Christian saints)
and the ceiling covered with streamers that blew around softly in the wind.

First, the Oungan told us to select from the spirits painted on the wall. I selected Ogou Féraille, who took the form of St. George.
My friend selected Zaka. He took us into the back chamber, which was not much larger than a closet.

There was an altar there, covered in bottles and jugs, along with some sort of idol and vèvè diagrams painted everywhere on the walls.

We all sat while he drew the vèvè for Zaka and Ogou Féraille.

His assistant came in to begin the shaking of the maracas and the chanting. This went on for quite a while, more than 30 minutes. The spirit then took the Oungan. He grabbed my hand and shook it hard. Then he grabbed with the other. He then doused his hand with Clarian and lit it on fire, clapping it against his forehead to put it out. He muttered, chanted and drank. He began to light his candle with ours and bite off the still-burning top, over and over again. As he slowly came down, he requested a pen and paper. He began to write out a list of things we needed to buy from the market. For me, two red scarves, a machete with scabbard, a bucket, and some sweet-smelling perfume. For my friend, one green scarf, one red scarf, a woven bag and a bottle of clarian, along with a large amount of food (consisting of peanuts, corn, bread, and several types of sweets).

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After returning from the market with our requested items, the Oungan instructed us to wait as his wife, a Mamba (priestess) cooked the food for the spirits. While we waited, we got to speak to his family. The strangest part was the normalness of all of them, including the Oungan himself. He had six children, ranging in age from 3 to 16, all very sweet. He himself was a slight man, very soft spoken. But when he was possessed, he would be screaming and chanting, slapping his elbows and falling out of his chair.
He also took the opportunity to show us the papier-mâché masks they use in Jacmel for the Carnival.

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When all was finished, we all went back into the chamber. He had spread out a feast for Zaka (Ogou Féraille required only rum) and began the chanting and the drumming.
He then lifted the bag and said a prayer in each direction, followed by tying the green scarf around my friend's neck. He then did the same for me, lifting the machete, then tying a red scarf around my neck. We were told to come back the next morning to recieve the boons.
We returned the next day with a charged bag and machete.

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The final Vodou experience happened Christmas night. We took a motorbike to the outskirts of Jacmel with a friend out to a large townhouse, which contained a very large oumfor. There were at least 500 people there. It was almost like the Vodou equivalent of a megachurch. They even had their own printed t-shirts (one of which I aquired due to the oungan taking a liking to me).

For the first couple of hours, the ceremony consisted of many people in red dancing and singing around the central pole, occationally getting possessed by spirits and staggering about.

Then, they brought out the goat.

Squeemish readers and Kristina probably shouldn't read on.

The goat was tied up to the central pole for another 30 minutes of singing and dancing. Suddenly, a man, clothed entirely in red, came out of the back chamber, obviously possessed. The spirit of Baron Criminel had overtaken him.

A mob of people surrounded him and brought him closer to the center of the oumfor. He took the goat into his hands, slit its throat and began to drink deeply of its blood.

Covered in its vital fluid, he was pulled back, everyone was forced away from him, and a machete was placed in his hand.

Up it went! Down it went! Up it went! Down it went!
All was quiet.

He continued to stagger around the room, accompanied and mobbed by a throng of people. Eventually, he walked back into the chamber and closed the door. When he emerged, money began to fly everywhere, and all around began to try to get a bit of his blessing in the form of silver.