Gifrants

Rara is a Haitian processional street music performed mainly during Lent and around Easter, combining Afro-Haitian ritual rhythms, call-and-response singing, and piercing bamboo or metal trumpets called vaksen. Ensembles parade through neighborhoods, creating interlocking rhythmic patterns while dancers and singers respond to the lead calls. The music is rooted in Vodou ceremonial drumming and West African rhythmic lineages, but it also reflects the island’s colonial history through its parading format and use of portable, high-volume instruments. Lyrics in Haitian Kreyòl range from celebratory to satirical and political, and the sound is defined by cyclical grooves, hocketing horn lines, and a mobile, outdoor performance energy.