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What Is Carnival ? |
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Every Caribbean island throws a bash of some kind. It's Carnival Time! |
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Essentials |
Caribbean Carnivals are a colorful mix of New Year's revelry, costumed Mardi Gras parades and loud music. On every island, Carnival is a party where everyone--regardless of status--mixes freely and openly as islanders display their most creative fashions and exuberant musical talents. Many Carnivals last between 10-14 days. They include beauty pageants, calypso presentations and band competitions, usually held in the evening at a Carnival Village (a great place to sample local cuisine). Carnival festivities start slow and expand to both night and day. An important feature J'ouvert ("break-of-dawn"), a jump-up parade that begins before dawn and lasts well into daybreak. Typically it's the day following J'ouvert (pronounced "joo-VAY") Carnival's highlight, the costume parade. It occurs during daylight, in some places not until mid-afternoon if J'ouvert happened that morning. (Those are the really tough party people.) Parade participants usually belong to a group and may dress as everything from butterflies to outer space aliens depending on their group's theme.
People want you to take their photographs. Some have planned and designed their costumes for as much as a year. This is their chance to show off. The biggest Carnivals typically take place in February or March prior to Lent. Some islands wait until the end of July and/or the beginning of August to commemorate Emancipation Day when England abolished slavery (August 1, 1834). Trinidad Carnival Photo Gallery
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