It’s that time of the month again and by that we mean choosing which island reigns supreme. For the crew at Caribbean Holidays however the month of February was not much of a challenge to decide who the winner was.
This is the month of the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival celebrations. A month when a normally mad island goes even more nuts and in ultimate party mode. Visitors from throughout the world flock to Trinidad especially for the dance and merriment at a level that has separated the island from the rest of the islands that have similar celebrations.
Carnival dates back to the days of slavery in the Caribbean when the French planter class used to host celebrations in their circles to mark the beginning of the Easter observance. The slaves not wanting to be left out looked on and then formed their own version of those celebrations. Much of it was imitating and making fun of the planter class, their dress and somewhat sober dances full of order and high society class structures. Soon the rhythm of the African culture seeped into the celebrations and the dances took on a new form, the drums came into play and the rich African culture infused with the French version in a Caribbean setting. Carnival Caribbean style was born and never looked back.
Today there is still some tradition and memories of those days but a lot of it has given way to the natural evolution and tastes of the market. Fun, sun, party and friendships. There are people that wait all year long for Carnival and save for this season. Bands sell out in minutes and with online sales gaining even more popularity within seconds some sections of the more popular band sell out.
The Carnival season is made of of several different elements such as Calypso (local songs) competitions and tents showcasing the talents, Chutney music (Indian culture mixed with the traditional Carnival music), Soca Monarch (a more modern spin to Calypso), Parade of the bands (where huge beautiful costumes are displayed, usually the kings and queens of bands), Panorama (where the nations pride and joy the steel pan/steel drum) is showcased to the world. However it all culminates on Carnival Monday and Tuesday where Port-of-Spain especially goes crazy. People by the tens of thousands converge onto the capital and party from dawn to dusk. It begins with j’ouvert and then transcends into the most beautiful parade of bands in the region and some argue the world. Monday and Tuesday are dominated by these parades and on midnight of Tuesday it is all supposed to come to an end for another year.
Wednesday has traditionally been a day of relaxation, recuperation and preparation for work again. Many locals take this as a day off after partying way too hard but some real party warriors show up for work steel-faced in the morning saying they are fine. The smart ones head to the nation’s many beaches or over to the sister isle of Tobago where they might stay in a hotel or find a lovely villa to rest their tired bodies.
So without a doubt as Trinidad does its annual pilgrimage of “mas, pan and fetes” and the locals “lime up a storm”, we have little doubt in giving them the coveted title of our island of the month. Happy Carnival everyone!
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