Every year, from July 14 to July 16, rich, poor, and middle Haitians from around the country and abroad come to make the long journey to the Saut-d'Eau waterfall located nearby Mirebalais and 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
the tiny village of Ville-Bonheur into a huge multireligious fair and street party.
There are valid reasons for people to come to the dazzling water of this cascade. Some come to ask for a job, money to pay debts, good luck, cure and others show up to have fun while many worshipers of Catholic and Vodou religions make their demand to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The legend behind the three-day pilgrimage started in 1847, when our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of Ville-Bonheur, is said to have appeared on a palm tree and begun to heal the sick. Ever since, thousands of believers and adventurers make the trip to the pounding 100-foot-high waterfalls singing and chanting as they bath.
It is also a perfect occasion for visitors to have a good time while eating their favorite dish which are the deep fried plantains, boiled cabbage-palm, and goat on the grill spruced up with a cup of heavy rhum. The ambiance in the town of Saut-d'Eau is animated with live street bands playing drums and horns made of metal sheet. On the other hand, the mood is more calm in the church where hundreds of pilgrims are praying to the Virgin Mary asking for miracle.
