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 Gran Bwa is the Lwa of forests and jungles. Envisioned as an anthropomorphic creature, he is big and boisterous, and often takes a very long time to manifest in the peristyle during services. He is syncretized with St. Sebastian in Catholic hagiography, for the tree Sebastian is pinned against.
Gran Bwa's name is Creole for "Great Tree", implying Master of the Forest. According to some authorities, this Lwa is one of the "Magical Three" Lwa who preside over the Kanzo cycle. The sacredness of certain trees is one of the things that links the old African religions with the younger Northern European religions. Gran Bwa's altar very often consists of a cloth tied around a particular tree at whose base offerings are left. As in pre-Christian Europe, trees are closely associated with the ancestors and serve as a gateway to the residents of the spirit world who have not yet returned to the living world, or who have chosen to remain in the spirit world to act as guides and guardians of the living. It is my guess that the connection with the ancestors is what has given Gran Bwa responsibility for the Ancestors. It is in Gran Bwa’s great branches that the venerable Dambala perches. Danbala is also associated with ancestors. So together, these two mysteries carry the holy Ancestors within their worlds.
Gran Bwa's rites fall under the Petro style of service. He presides over the rite of Pile Fey ("Break Leaves") as well as the suleliye of the Kanzo cycle. He is the Lwa of healing, of all medicinal plants and the forests of the world. He loves leaves and plants as offerings, will accept a very good cigar and drinks Kleren through his ear when he takes possession of his horse in service
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