haitian_voodoo_documentary_11
A manbo, or voodou priestess, prepares initiates a newcomer during the annual Plaine du Nord voodou festival on July 24, 2008. The baptismal festival centers around St. Jacques' hole, a mud pit on the edge of the village, and honors the lwa Ogou, who presides over matters of war, politics, fire and iron, as well as St. James, the Catholic warrior saint.