Dreaming of a deceased loved one in Haitian Vodou: meaning
In Haitian Vodou the dead remain part of the family. The lemò, the ancestors, are served and remembered, and dreams about the dead are often seen as real contact. An ancestor may come to give counsel, warn or ask for something.
Within this tradition
Death in Vodou is a passage. After death the gwo bonanj according to tradition stays for a time beneath the water, and after a year and a day it is called back with a ceremony, so that it can become an ancestor and support the family. In many families the ancestors are served at the lakou, the family compound, together with the lwa the family has inherited from generation to generation.
That is why practitioners take dreams about the dead seriously. A deceased parent or grandparent who appears is often read as a visit. What the deceased did or said counts: a calm, smiling deceased person points to contentment or blessing, one who asks for food, drink, clothing or a place, to the wish to be remembered or cared for. A deceased person who seems angry or sad can point to something left lying in the family.
The Gede, the lwa of the dead led by Baron Samedi, stand at the boundary between life and death. Purple and black, a cemetery or a figure in a top hat in a dream about a deceased person therefore recall them. Around Fèt Gede, at the start of November, such dreams get extra attention in many families.
Dreamkin does not prescribe ceremonies. Lighting a candle, saying a name or remembering an ancestor is always possible; for more, the dreamer discusses the dream with a houngan or manbo.
Common variations
A calm, smiling deceased person
Contentment or blessing from the ancestors.
A deceased person asking for something
The wish to be remembered or cared for.
An angry or sad deceased person
Something left lying in the family.
Purple and black, a cemetery
Recalls the Gede, the lwa of the dead.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
Who are the lemò?
The dead and ancestors in Haitian Vodou, who remain part of the family and are served and remembered.
What is Fèt Gede?
The festival of the Gede around 1 and 2 November, with cemetery visits and celebrations.
Should I do something after such a dream?
Dreamkin does not prescribe ceremonies or offerings. Whoever finds a dream weighs heavily discusses it with a houngan or manbo who knows them. Lighting a candle or remembering an ancestor is always possible.