Day of the Dead and Fèt Gede: the Mexican Embassy and Quisqueya University honour their ancestors together

The Embassy of Mexico in Haiti and Quisqueya University (UniQ) jointly celebrated Mexico's Day of the Dead and Haiti's Fèt Gede on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at a "binational celebration of culture and tradition" held from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the CCC hall on the UniQ campus in Port-au-Prince. At UniQ, the acronym CCC stands for the Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Property (Centre de conservation des biens culturels).

Under the theme "Mexico – Haiti: between memory, traditions and cultural expressions," the gathering was meant to honour the ancestors of both peoples through art, music, dance and food, according to the invitation published by the university.

Culture as dialogue

For the Mexican ambassador, José de Jesús Cisneros Chávez, culture allows two peoples to talk to each other and come together in a shared artistic and spiritual event, the cultural outlet Wikipeyia reports. UniQ rector Jacky Lumarque urged the audience not to be afraid to show their culture, as Mexico does. "A people afraid of its roots is a people afraid of itself," he said, describing culture as "a driver of wealth creation."

Haitian painter Shneider Léon Hilaire, the day's guest artist, presented an installation conceived as a crossroads between Haitian and Mexican cultures, featuring, among other things, Barbancourt rum and tequila. The group WELELE, performing on behalf of the university, took the stage three times with drums, songs and dances inspired by Fèt Gede traditions. The ceremony ended with pan de muerto, the sweet bread baked in Mexico for the occasion, served to guests.

Two festivals of the dead

In Mexico, the indigenous festivities dedicated to the dead take place every year between late October and early November; UNESCO inscribed them in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Haiti, Fèt Gede brings Vodou followers to cemeteries every early November, around All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, notably at the Grand Cemetery of Port-au-Prince, to honour their ancestors and Baron Samedi, guardian of the dead.