Saint Anne in Haitian Vodou
Syncretization of Christian saint
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In Haitian Vodou, Saint Anne, mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, is syncretized with multiple lwa: Aloumandia, Délai and Ti Saint Anne.[1]: 142, 218 Aloumandia and Ti Saint Anne are largely worshipped in the department of Artibonite, in north-central Haiti.
Aloumandia
Aloumandia or Aloumandja—also Maman Aloumandia, Grann Aloumandia, or Grande Aloumandia[2]: 87 — is a lwa mainly worshiped in the department of Artibonite.[3] She is variously identified as part of the Kongo lwa, Rada lwa or Ogou lwa; to the latter, she is a rare grandmotherly figure in the typically masculine, warlike Ogou nation.[1]: 57, 66 [3][2]: 87 She is a river spirit of the Artibonite River, along with the personification of the river itself.[4]: 205 According to writer Déita, Aloumandia is also known as Hazagou Limba or Azaka Limba.[4]: 71–77
Aloumandia is attributed as the foremost of the many patron lwa to Haitian Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines as his met tet—his guiding spirit.[5]: 326 [4]: 205 As a symbol of his faith to Aloumandia during the Haitian Revolution, he wore a yellow headscarf (mouchwa), adorned with brown and black.[6] Dessalines was most often possessed by Aloumandia when attending hounfour temple services in Arcahaie. According to a contemporary Vodou song, Dessalines was warned by Aloumandia of an impending attempt on his life should he go to Port-au-Prince; he ignored the premonition, and was later assassinated.[7]
Her feast day on May 18 coincides with Haitian Flag Day, wherein she is also called Saint Soleil Haiti or Grand Saint Anne as syncretized with Saint Anne.[8] Aloumandia is the godmother to Limba.[4]: 352–353 Ibo Lele is her sister.[9]
Délai
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 Maîtresse Délai by André Pierre, oil painting |
Délai—also called Maîtresse Délai or Grande Délai[1]: 142, 218 —is the patron of the tambourine.[a][1]: 218 Délai's aspect Délai Medeh[b] is invoked in hounfour temple ceremonies for Haitian Vodou drumming, as patron of the tambour and dominator of the drummers, along with Papa Houn'thor.[1]: 114
Ti Saint Anne
Saint Anne also came to be syncretized as Ti Saint Anne or Ti Sentàn, based around Anse-à-Foleur. Popular legend states that in the early 20th century, a doll was found in a river by Catholic pilgrims traveling to Higüey. The doll was discarded but began to invoke miracles, such as returning from being thrown down a well, and private revelation from Saint Anne. Ti Saint Anne's syncretized feast day is held on July 26, observed across Artibonite. Pilgrims to Anse-à-Foleur, predominantly women, travel for blessings of good fortune; the doll has had a viewing fee for much of its history, reaching 10 Haitian gourde in 2007.[10][11][12]
Notes
- In Haitian music, tambourine may refer to the ground bow (tambour maringouin, lit. 'mosquito drum') or a miniature version of the tymbale double-headed drum.[5]: 194, 326