It is a spirit that appeared after the universal flood during Noah’s time. After 40 rainy days and nights, the first generation had perished. Noah wanted to know if land was in sight. Since he had a pair of every animal on earth he wanted to let both animals and people go free. So, first he sent out a crow. Three days passed, and the crow did not return. Therefore, he waited two more weeks and sent another crow. This time the crow returned carrying a small branch of an olive tree which indicates that land was near. The crow was an old lady, Grann Ayizan Avilekete. During any mystic ritual, the first spirit one should invoke is Grann Ayizan Avelekete. It is symbolized by the first leaf brought back by the crow. The first leaf is going to open the door for all the spirits. Whatever you are, people, animals, it is Grann Avelekete that is going to open, to show the way to everybody. She represents the earth. She is the symbol of life after the universal flood. It is the spirit that opened the arch to let everybody, every animal go free. Having freed everybody, she went ahead in front and started singing: “Oh Avelekete, we will go, we will go to the land of our brothers. We will go look for our relatives, oh Avelekete! We will go to the land of our brothers. We will go look for our family, oh Avelekete’ You are our mother. You are the only one who can free us, oh Avelekete! You are our mother. You will save us.” Only in the mystic ritual, only at a voodoo celebration that you can truly know your family; you can truly know your origin. In Haiti too, when you see mystic people worshiping voodooitis according to their own personal culture, similarly in different countries, people give a different name for voodoo according to their own culture. It is in the name chosen that people will be able to recognize their own family. It is at a mystic ritual that all the families are represented. It is then that the smaller spirits are introduced to the older spirits of the family. Generation after generation that’s how you truly learn about your family. In Haiti it is through voodoo that Haitians can identify, recognize their families. Thanks to Grann Ayizan Avelekete.
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