Arts and Entertainment, 2nd prize
Saut d'Eau Pilgrimage
Emiliano Larizza
Contrasto
Contrasto
16 July, 2011
Pilgrims at the foot of the Saut d’Eau waterfall.
Emiliano Larizza
Emiliano Larizza was born in Rome, Italy, in 1978, and took up photography in 2001. Later, he studied graphics and screenplay writing. Larizza sees art as the support and stimulu...
Saut d’Eau, Haiti
Pilgrims at the foot of the Saut d’Eau waterfall. Every year from 14 to 16 July, pilgrims gather to beat drums, dance, invoke spirits, and wash themselves in the purifying waters of the Saut d’Eau sacred waterfall, in Mirebalais, Haiti. The religious festival combines both Christian and voodoo beliefs, and Saut d’Eau is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared there on top of a palm tree in the mid-19th century, and also that the grove where the falls are situated is home to loa, deities of African origin. Christian and voodoo beliefs are often intertwined in Haiti.
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