JOSH GATES: On the remote island nation of Vanuatu,
a mysterious cult worships a phantom
American soldier as a god.
While in the heart of Ethiopia,
divine subterranean temples
may be home to genuine miracles.
And in New Orleans' secret City of the Dead,
seven demanding spirits guard a portal
to the other side.
I'm Josh Gates.
I've traveled millions of miles
and explored over 100 countries.
Lost city, here I come.
And my favorite destinations
have epic tales to tell.
These are the stories
and the secrets
of those legendary locations.
I'd like to invite you to a most unusual party.
It takes place about 1,000 miles
east of Australia on the island chain
of Vanuatu.
There, on the tiny island of Tanna,
you'll find a festival with colorful costumes,
good food, and plenty to drink.
But what makes this annual celebration one-of-a-kind
is the ghostly guest of honor
and the curious religion he inspired.
[ Beeping noises ]
One of the southernmost of Vanuatu's 83 islands,
Tanna is the definition of an island paradise.
An unspoiled coastline frames 210 square miles
of dense tropical rainforest,
and if that doesn't sound exotic enough,
how about a very active and dangerous volcano?
But what makes this location truly legendary
is something that looks completely out of place.
In Lamakara village, just steps from the ocean,
flies the flag of the United States of America.
And even stranger, the villagers are preparing
for a party complete with makeshift American
military uniforms and homemade weapons.
So what in the name of Uncle Sam
is going on here?
To understand the celebration that's about to break out on Tanna,
we have to rewind the clock to some of
the darkest chapters in human history.
By the late 18th century, the islands of Vanuatu
were colonized by the British and French.
The missionaries criminalized indigenous customs
and local religious beliefs, banishing polygamy
and the consumption of the hallucinogenic drink, kava.
Punishment for violations includes beatings
and imprisonment.
But after decades of oppression, legend holds
a mysterious figure appears to the islanders
in the late 1930s.
Some say he was a flesh-and-blood
United States military scout.
Others believe he may have been a kava-fueled vision.
But all agree he goes by the name John Frum,
quite possibly as in John from America.
His message to the natives -- resist the colonists,
and they'll leave -- he also promises
to return one day to bring security and prosperity.
Then something truly incredible happens --
war.
In 1942, the Pacific theater of World War II
is in full swing.
Villagers on tiny islands like Tanna
are completely unprepared for the fighting
breaking out around them -- prior to this,
they'd never seen planes or battleships.
Parts of Vanuatu are
commandeered for American military bases,
overrun with more than 100,000 soldiers.
Soon, planes high above
begin parachuting cargo to resupply their troops.
The boxes contain everything from batteries and weapons
to chocolate and Coca-Cola.
These material goods were totally unknown
to the islanders and seemed to have miraculously
rained down from the heavens.
When the Americans left,
so-called cargo cults popped up all over the Pacific.
In Vanuatu, the islanders built crude runways
and bamboo control towers in a belief
that the gods would drop down goodies from above.
Decades later, most of these Pacific cargo cults
have disappeared, but on Tanna island,
the one honoring John Frum endures.
♪♪
This is Lamakara village.
Tomorrow is February 15th,
John Frum Day.
And the inhabitants are abuzz.
[ Laughter ]
GATES: For Chief Issac Wan,
the ceremony holds special meaning.
He's not just the village leader,
he's also the current head of the John Frum movement.
[ Speaking foreign language ]
TRANSLATOR: As chief, on no day do I feel
as much responsibility as I do on February 15th.
John Frum Day is as important to me
as Christmas or the Fourth of July
to Americans.
GATES: The villagers have spent weeks practicing marching,
singing, and dance routines for tomorrow.
[ Rooster crows ]
The next morning, John Frum devotees have assembled,
and with the American flag flying high,
the jubilee begins.
The locals kick off
their annual party with a choreographed
military-style march.
They wear U.S. Army fatigues,
and in place of firearms, the marchers wield
red-tipped bamboo shoots.
[ Man shouts ]
[ Drums beat ] [ Men chant ]
GATES: For Chief Issac Wan, devotion to Frum
is not simply a matter of blind faith.
It was the chief's grandfather who first experienced
the vision of John Frum and heard his inspiring message,
and now it's up to the chief
to keep this religion alive.
GATES: On Vanuatu's remote Tanna Island
in the village of Lamakara, a crowd of followers
has gathered to celebrate their patron saint.
A direct descendant
of the first John Frum devotee,
Chief Issac Wan has spent a lifetime spreading
the gospel of the mysterious American soldier.
[ Speaking foreign language ]
TRANSLATOR: Frum told my grandfather
that our people should preserve our customs
and save our identity.
GATES: The John Frum Day celebration includes
music and dance routines that recreate the dark history
of European subjugation and punishment of the islanders.
[ Speaking foreign language ]
TRANSLATOR: People came to destroy our traditions,
but John Frum appeared and told us to say no.
GATES: Vanuatu earned its independence from colonists
in 1980, which some locals say is due in part
to that powerful message, and many still hold out hope
that Frum might even make another appearance
and take Vanuatu to new heights.
Today I'm happy.
[ Shouting ]
Speaking of celebrations,
7,500 miles to the northeast
is the ultimate party town.
No place throws down quite like New Orleans,
but while most people go to the Big Easy to live it up,
there's an entire second city here devoted to the dead,
and if you're brave enough to explore it,
and if you know the secrets to keep you safe,
you might just be granted a chance to reach out
and touch the other side.
[ Beeping noises ]
♪♪
New Orleans,
a location unlike any other,
an eclectic mix of French, Spanish, African,
Native American, and Caribbean influences
all stewed together.
And once a year, the city erupts
into one hell of a party.
♪♪
This is Mardi Gras,
a carnival celebration dating back to 1699
that quadruples the city's population each February,
with costumed revelers and fantasy parade floats,
all fueled by live jazz
and some seriously potent libations,
but this isn't just a bourbon-fueled rager.
Legend says Mardi Gras is also the time when
the veil between the world of the living
and the land of the dead is at its thinnest,
especially if you believe in voodoo.
That's right, voodoo.
While it's often misunderstood or even dismissed
as black magic or devil worship,
in reality, it's a full-fledged religion,
one that originated in Africa and then spread to the Americas.
Ever since the late 18th century when voodoo took root here,
worshippers have believed in two worlds --
one visible, one invisible.
And that's where local resident Lorna Dobson comes in.
Instead of making merry with the crowds,
she's taking advantage of Mardi Gras' spiritual atmosphere
to undertake a more personal journey.
I've grown up here, and I've always been
really interested and fascinated by voodoo.
GATES: And that's what's brought her to Erzulie's voodoo shop,
run by an expert who's studied the religion for decades,
Kalila Smith.
Lorna's hoping to communicate with her recently deceased uncle,
and to do that, she's going to need
Kalila's help in navigating the so-called City of the Dead.
You see, New Orleans is actually two cities.
Surrounding the charming streets of the French Quarter
is a network of historic cemeteries,
and since New Orleans is actually built slightly
below sea level, the bodies of the dead
have to be housed above ground.
Voodoo belief holds that to reach the underworld,
the spirits of the recently departed must walk
through seven portals called the Gates of Guinee.
If you follow their path,
it's possible to make contact with them before
they fully cross over.
This is a map of the Gates of Guinee.
What I don't know is how to orient it on the map.
There's a lot of legends about this -- a lot of people think
it's physical gates -- the truth of the matter is,
it's just another dimension.
According to legend, the actual gates are invisible,
but if you know your voodoo, you can chart a path
between them, and local lore dictates
exactly where to begin the journey.
What I do know is that Marie Laveau,
the queen of voodoo, is where it starts.
GATES: Marie Laveau was a 19th-century priestess.
She combined her Catholic upbringing with voodoo
and Native American traditions to perform supposedly
supernatural rituals.
Many believe her grave site
is the first Gate of Guinee.
Kalila leads the way into the City of the Dead
to begin the quest to contact Lorna's recently lost relative.
Each of the seven gates
is said to be guarded by a powerful spirit,
with the final gate guarded by the terrifying phantom
known as Baron Samedi,
the patron spirit of New Orleans.
To get past him and his brethren
requires carefully selected offerings.
They approach the first gate guarded by the Baron LaCroix.
SMITH: Do you have the offerings? I do, yes.
I have the rum and change for him.
Rum and money -- what do you expect?
These are ghosts of New Orleans, after all,
and even in the afterlife, they let the good times roll.
In all seriousness, though, it's critical
that Lorna approach the seven gates
in the correct order.
If the sequence is done wrong, legend says the gates
can spring open and release deadly ghosts
into our world who could drag Lorna and all of us
back into theirs.
With the hope that the first gate is cleared,
Kalila leads Lorna to the second,
which many believe is on the historic Magnolia Bridge.
For over 200 years,
voodoo worshippers have come here to partake
in a kind of voodoo baptism.
Okay, I've got
some more rum.
I have medicinal herbs.
And I also have some change.
GATES: The pair follow the trail through the City of the Dead,
careful to make offerings
to each of the guardian barons.
After clearing six portals,
they approach the location of the final gate --
Holt Cemetery.
SMITH: All right, here we are. This is it.
GATES: Only a few feet separate them from the final portal
to the underworld, but if legend is right,
they're also on the doorstep of an encounter
with New Orleans' most dangerous spirit.
GATES: In the heart of New Orleans,
a legendary location called the City of the Dead
is said to be home to seven invisible gates
that lead to the voodoo underworld,
and today, local resident Lorna Dobson,
is about to reach the last gate in an effort to communicate
with her late uncle.
♪♪
This is where all the voodoo practitioners come Okay.
and work with this particular spirit for this particular purpose.
GATES: But this gate is guarded by a powerful spirit
known as the Baron Samedi,
the patron spirit of New Orleans.
To keep him at bay, Lorna makes a final offering of rum.
Baron Samedi, please accept this offering.
GATES: Voodoo expert, Kalila Smith,
has also instructed Lorna with the final incantation
that will help her reach across to the other side.
Seven gates, seven spirits,
bring forth my intentions.
GATES: And with that,
the veil is lifted -- a breeze sweeps
through the cemetery.
Lorna senses a presence by her side.
She couldn't say if it's her uncle,
but it does feel like a powerful ending
to her journey.
All right, now thank all the spirits
and ask them to close the portals,
and nothing follow us home from the cemetery.
Regardless of what you believe, there's no denying
the incredible power that faith can have over our lives,
and for the faithful, the Holy Land in Jerusalem
is a nexus of divine sites.
It's here that followers of three of the world's
most popular religions -- Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam --
worship at sites deeply connected to their faith.
But what if I told you there was another holy land,
a place not in the middle of the Middle East
but in Africa, and what if this location
wasn't just historic but a home to genuine miracles
and maybe even the lost Ark of the Covenant?
[ Beeping noises ]
♪♪
Welcome to Ethiopia, a country at the heart
of the Horn of Africa that's home to just over
100 million people, making it the most
populous land-locked nation on Earth.
Ethiopia's towns and cities are vibrant centers
of commerce and culture.
Go just a few miles outside of town, though,
and you'll feel like you've traveled back into
the pages of the Bible.
This is Lalibela,
one of the holiest places on Earth.
Ten percent of the population here are priests.
And at its center is a site
and a story that's the stuff of miracles.
Ethiopia, the late 1100s.
The country's Christian king, Lalibela, has a major problem.
Muslim conquests have blocked all pilgrimages to Jerusalem,
but then, according to legend, God gives him a solution,
instructing him in a vision to build a new holy land.
The result is extraordinary.
Eleven underground churches,
all carved from rock.
Some call the site the eighth Wonder of the World.
Most call it a mystery.
For centuries, stories have swirled over how
such an architectural marvel could've been built
given the limited workforce and basic tools Lalibela
would've had at his disposal.
Some say he brought in the Knights Templar
to build it in secret.
Others believe he enlisted his most loyal subjects
to work by day
while an army of angels took over by night.
The miracle of the churches' construction has led many
to proclaim Lalibela a new holy land.
Some say it's so sacred, the Ark of the Covenant
was or even is hidden here,
and it's these legends that draw people
from around the world looking for their own miracles.
[ Bells dinging ]
GATES: Like many who come to Lalibela,
Berhane, a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church,
suffers from a physical affliction
that traditional medicine has failed to cure.
So I hear that you are sick, your leg? Yeah.
So if you'll just follow me.
♪♪
GATES: All who come to Lalibela must make a steep trek down...
...to the most impressive church of them all.
♪♪
GATES: St. George Church is a masterpiece of architecture,
carved completely out of one contiguous rock.
It's 40 feet tall,
and its roof is cut in the shape of a Greek cross.
Not hard to see
why many believe miracles can happen here.
♪♪
GATES: Misgana and Berhane are getting closer to the head of the line...
...for a sacred healing ceremony
that might just end in a miracle.
GATES: In the heart of Ethiopia, the town of Lalibela is home
to 11 incredible churches carved completely out of stone,
what believers call a new holy land
where miracles still happen today.
Berhane has made the difficult trek here with a local guide
for a special baptismal ceremony,
which he hopes will heal his chronic leg pain.
GATES: The faithful begin the ceremony by filing
into the church for prayer.
[ Man singing ]
[ People singing ]
GATES: And then move into the courtyard where
they're splashed with holy water,
believed to be blessed by God.
Just moments after the ritual ends,
Berhane says he can already feel its effects.
God bless you, brother. Thank you very much.
♪♪
GATES: Some of the most legendary locations out there
are ones that compel us to believe,
whether it's the belief in a connection to another world,
in the possibility of miracles,
or in a prophet who gives you faith in yourself.
These are destinations that, I believe,
are well worth the journey.
I'm Josh Gates.
Travel adventurously, and I'll see you next time
on "Legendary Locations."