COMING TO MOTHER
July 1995
Saut d’Eau
Piety and practicality mix atop the head of a pilgrim at the spirited festival of Vyéj Mirak (Virgin of Miracles). The worshiper indicates his reverence by not actually wearing the hat, yet he protects it from being lost or trampled. The annual celebration commemorates an apparition of the Virgin Mary—or her voodoo counterpart Ezili, the goddess of love—atop a palm tree. Some pilgrims attend church; most congregate at the town’s waterfalls to wash in the sacred waters and partake in voodoo ceremonies.
