Maman Brigitte

Maman Brigitte (English: Mother Brigitte) sometimes also written as Manman Brigitte and also known by Gran Brigitte, Grann Brigitte, Manman, Manman Brigit, and Maman Brijit is a death loa (or lwa) and the consort of Baron Samedi in Haitian Vodou. She drinks white rum or white wine & coffee with no sugar and is symbolized by a black rooster. Maman Brigitte protects graves in Haitian cemeteries that are marked by the cross of Baron Samedi. Graves that are protected by Brigitte are marked by a mound of stones. In Vodou practice, the first burials serve as offerings to either Baron Samedi or Maman Brigitte depending on the sex of the person being buried: if male, the grave is dedicated to Baron Samedi; if female to Maman Brigitte. Like Samedi and the Guede, she is foul-mouthed. She is also the adoptive mother of Guede Nibo. Maman Brigitte also has the distinction of being one of the few loa who is depicted as being White. Due to the religious persecution of enslaved African and Caribbean people in Haiti and the Americas, Maman Brigitte was disguised via syncretism and represented by various saints, usually those depicted with fire or snakes, including Brigid of Kildare and, less frequently, Mary Magdalene.