First taste of Rara

This week is "la periode sainte" in Haiti. Holy week is full of religious celebrations which are polarized into the Church side and the Rara side. Raras are (voodoo) celebrations with drums/music, singing and dancing which can last well into the night, and the church tolerates them but does not appreciate them. Several people explained to me that the rara tradition began when Jesus was crucified, and people danced and sang in the streets to celebrate his death. Dancers can be "mounted" by the loa, voodoo spirits, who possess them, communicate through them, and make them do things. This said, I haven't felt anything sinister about the rara, just people dancing and singing and playing drums, moving from place to place in the village. I think I've only seen the tip of the iceberg though.

Anyway, Sunday night, there was a rara going on, and my curiosity must have been sensed, because four girls who were hanging around the guest house led me down to it. I was nervous about going, because I wasn't sure if I was really truly invited. I would hesitate and they would giggle and tug my arms until I started walking again. People swarmed around me, trying to get me to dance, shouting.... I wish I understood Creole better, if for no other reason than to be reassured that they weren't pissed that I was even there. I'm pretty sure they weren't, but I didn't stay long anyway before retreating back to my place, followed by a small crowd of kids. Sitting on the porch, Sonell, a 13 year old boy, was explaining to me that the rara is evil and that dancing in the rara is a sin. Love, who's about 15, shot back that rara is not a sin and that the only sins are tue moun, tue zanimo, koupe bwa (killing people, killing animals, and cutting down trees).