Baron Samedi

Baron Samedi also spelled as Baron Samdi, Bawon Samedi, or Bawon Sanmdi, is one of the loa in Haitian voodoo. Samedi is the loa of the dead, along with numerous incarnations such as Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is syncretized with San Martín de Porres.

He is the leader of the Guédé de loa family. His wife is the loa Maman Brigitte. His symbols are the skeleton, the coffin, a black cross and agricultural implements.

Etymology

 * His name is in French and means "Baron Saturday"

Appearance
Baron Samedi is usually represented as a very dark-skinned man dressed in black and wearing a top hat. He usually has a skull painted on his face, although he is sometimes shown with a skinless skull for his head.

Representation of Baron Samedi
He is usually depicted with a high hat, black tailcoat, dark glasses and cottons on his nose, as if he remembers a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He usually has a white skull face (or a skull for a face), speaking in a nasal voice. The former president for life of Haiti François Duvalier modeled his cult of personality on the basis of Baron Samedi; he used to be seen speaking in a deep nasal tone and wearing dark glasses.

He stands out for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Furthermore, he is the loa of resurrection, thus being invoked to heal those with a near death, as if only the Baron could accept the individual into the realm of the dead.

Baron Samedi spends most of his time in the invisible realm of voodoo spirits. He stands out for his scandalous behavior, constantly cursing and making dirty jokes to the other spirits. He is married to another powerful spirit known as Maman Brigitte, but he sometimes haunts human women. He likes to smoke and drink, rarely seeing himself without a cigar in his mouth or a glass of rum in his bony fingers. Baron Samedi is often found at the crossroads between the worlds of the living and the dead. When someone dies, he digs his grave and receives his soul after being buried, taking him to the underworld.

He considers himself wise because he harbors the knowledge of the dead and the outside world. It is said that the first body buried in the cemetery will become the manifestation of the baron, guardian of the cemetery; the first woman will become Brigitte's manifestation. When the baron exits the world of the dead, he must wear sunglasses to protect his eyes from the bright light. However, he frequently removes the right glass to see the world of the living while the glass eye allows him to see the world of the dead. The right eye is also said to keep its sight on his food, as the baron is known for his formidable appetite. He even makes his own liquor: raw kleren, a cheap type of rum, steeped in 21 spices and so hot that no other loa can bear to drink it.

Baron Samedi sometimes comes to earth as a ragged beggar, but he normally wears formal clothes, including his tall hat, tailcoat, and long black cane, along with a skull handle. Although his clothes might indicate otherwise, he is quite a trickster and spends a lot of time in perverted, scandalous behavior, while ridiculing those who take themselves too seriously. The baron is quite partying, and no ceremony ends without one of the Guédé, usually Gede Nimbo (called Papa Gede), to liven things up. The presence of the baron is a constant reminder in the land of the living that all must finally succumb to him, ruler of the afterlife.

Baron Samedi cross.
Baron Samedi is the leader of the Guédé, loa with connections particularly to magic, ancestor worship, and death. These lesser spirits dress like the baron and are just as rude and vulgar, but not as charming as their leader. They help carry the dead to the underworld.

Activities
Besides being the master of the dead, Baron Samedi is the giver of life. He can cure any fatal illness or injury if he thinks it is worth it. His powers are especially great when it comes to voodoo curses and black magic. Even if someone has been affected by a hex that brings him to the brink of death, he will not die if the Baron refuses to dig his grave. As long as this powerful spirit keeps you off the ground, you are safe.

He also ensures that all corpses rot on the ground to prevent any soul from returning as a mindless zombie. What he asks in return depends on his mood. He is sometimes satisfied with his followers wearing black, white or purple clothes or wearing sacred objects; he can simply order a small gift of cigars, rum, black coffee, roasted peanuts, or bread. But sometimes the baron asks for a voodoo ceremony to help him cross into his world.

Baron Samedi drinks black coffee or vodka and gin, the strongest alcohols, and often smokes strong cigarettes.