Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
Encyclopedia
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
.
Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
is the most significant event on the islands' cultural and tourism calendar, with numerous cultural events running in the lead up to the street parade on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. It is said that if the islanders are not celebrating it, then they are preparing for it, while reminiscing about the past year's festival. The heart of the musical celebration has been calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
; recently soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
has replaced calypso as the most celebrated type of music. Costumes, stickfighting and limbo
Limbo (dance)
Limbo is a popular form of dance that originated on the island of Trinidad. The dancer moves to a Caribbean rhythm, then leans backward and dances under a horizontal pole without touching it. Upon touching it or falling backwards, the dancer is "out"...
competitions are also important components of the festival.
Carnival as it is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
is also celebrated in cities worldwide, most notably in Rio de Janeiro
Rio Carnival
The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a world famous festival held before Lent every year and considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets. The first festivals of Rio date back to 1723.-Samba schools:...
and other Brazilian cities but also including Toronto's
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Caribana, Miami's Miami Carnival, Houston Carifest, London's
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
as well as New York City's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Labor Day Carnival
Labor Day Carnival
The Labor Day Parade , is an annual celebration held on American Labor Day , in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York....
to name a few.
Carnival was created when the indetured laborers and slaves who saw the French celebrating in costume and mimicked them while combining aspects from their own cultures (predominantly East Indian and African).
History
French planters, indenturered laborers, and their slaves emigrated to Trinidad during the French RevolutionHistory of Martinique
This is a page on the history of the island of Martinique.-100-1450:The island was originally inhabited by Arawak and Carib peoples. Circa 130 CE, the first Arawaks are believed to have arrived from South America. In 295 CE, an eruption of Mount Pelée resulted in the decimation of the island's...
(1789) from Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, including a number of West Africans
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, and French creoles
French-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
from Saint Vincent
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
and Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, establishing a local community before Trinidad and Tobago were taken from Spain by the British. Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
had arrived with the French, indentured laborers and the slaves, who could not take part in Carnival, formed their own, parallel celebration called canboulay
Canboulay
Canboulay is a precursor to Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. The festival is also where calypso music has its roots. It was originally a harvest festival, at which drums, singing, dancing and chanting were an integral part...
.
Stick fighting
Stick fighting
Stick fighting is a generic term for martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden 'sticks' for fighting such as a staff, cane, walking stick, baton or similar....
and African percussion music were banned in 1880, in response to the Canboulay Riots
Canboulay Riots
The Canboulay Riots riots by the descendants of freed slaves in the cities of Trinidad and Tobago against attempts by the British police to crack down on aspects of the celebration of Carnival. The riots occurred in February 1881 in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and in the southern...
. They were replaced by bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
sticks beaten together, which were themselves banned in turn. In 1937 they reappeared, transformed as an orchestra of frying pan
Frying pan
A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle...
s, dustbin lids and oil drum
Oil drum
Oil drum may refer to:* Drum , a cylindrical container used for transporting bulk goods such as oil and fuel* The Oil Drum, an energy discussion website...
s. These steelpan
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
s are now a major part of the Trinidadian music scene and are a popular section of the Canboulay music contests. In 1941, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
arrived on Trinidad, and the panmen, who were associated with lawlessness and violence, helped to popularize steel pan music among soldiers, which began its international popularization.
Carnival Dates
The table shows a list of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival dates from 2009 to 2015.| Calendar Year | Carnival Monday | Carnival Tuesday |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | February 23 | February 24 |
| 2010 | February 15 | February 16 |
| 2011 | March 7 | March 8 |
| 2012 | February 20 | February 21 |
| 2013 | February 11 | February 12 |
| 2014 | March 9 | March 10 |
| 2015 | February 13 | February 14 |
Competitions
Today musical competitions make up a large part of formal CarnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
; groups and individuals compete hard to win. To be named Calypso Monarch is one of the country's greatest honours, and the competition is aired on television. Along with the honour comes an enormous trophy, a car, TT $2,000,000 (approx.) and possible endorsements and other contracts. Other prestigious titles are the King and Queen of the Bands ; the Carnival Road March
Carnival Road March
The Carnival Road March is the musical composition played most often at the "judging points" along the parade route during Carnival. The Road March title is among the most prestigious titles in Trinidad Carnival. In Trinidad and Tobago the most Road march titles have gone to the Mighty Sparrow and...
; and Panorama
Panorama (music competition)
Panorama is an annual music competition of Steelbands from Trinidad and Tobago.It is usually held around Carnival time.-History:Panorama was first held during Carnival celebrations in 1963. A popular Calypso is arranged into a piece with introductions and variations over the theme.-Past...
(for steelpan). For the latter, the 2011 prize was TT$2 million. There are also limbo, stickfighting, and other competitions.
Traditionally, musicians use drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, claves
Claves
Claves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
, and the steelpan
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
, created in Trinidad and reported to be the only non-electrical instrument invented in the 20th century, that has been hammered down in different areas to create a wide range of different notes. A group of performers practise weeks in advance on these pans to compete.
Trinidad and Tobago is multicultural (Amerindian, European, African, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern), and all of its groups have contributed musical influences to the sounds of Carnival. These cultures have combined to create a music vastly different from that of Carnival in Spain, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, or New Orleans.
Costumes
On Carnival Monday and Tuesday, the bands are in competition to win the Band of the Year title. Small monetary prizes are associated with these titles, though they do not cover the full amount of producing the band's music or the King's or Queen's costumes. Participation occurs at all levels of society; three-time calypso monarch David Rudder described it as "from bourgeois to grassroots." Children participate from as early as parents can get them into costume; sometime even strollers are decorated.
Children can extend their fun by participating in smaller "Kiddies' Carnival" shows, competitions and parades as early as 4 weeks before the culmination of the festival. For weeks ahead, several preliminary rounds of competitions and parties (or fêtes) take place. As Carnival is part of the national curriculum, several programmes take place at schools across the country. Regional authorities handle smaller Carnival celebrations in smaller towns and villages.
Bands
Some popular Carnival bands include:
- Rosalind Gabriel
- Tribe
- Bliss
- Harts Carnival (also known as Young Harts)
- Masquerade
- Peter MinshallPeter MinshallPeter Minshall is a Trinidadian Carnival artist .-Early life and career beginnings:...
's Callaloo Company - Island People
- Trevor Wallace
- Trini Revellers
- YUMA
- Legacy
- Glenn Carvalho
- Genesis
- Pulse 8
- Spice
- Dream Team
- Mas Jumbies
- Evolution
- Brian McFarlane
- Trini Fever Crew
- Ramajay
- Katzenjammers
- Lee Heung
- Ivan Kalicharan: www.kalicharancarnival.com
- Wayne Berkeley
Characters
Pierrot Grenade – he gives speeches on issues of the day, all in rhyme
Minstrel
Minstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
s – musicians acting as wandering minstrels, wearing white facepaint
Midnight Robber
Midnight Robber
Midnight Robber is a science fiction/horror novel by American writer Nalo Hopkinson.-Reception:Gary K. Wolfe praised Midnight Robber, characterizing it as "an inventive amalgam of rural folklore and advanced tehnology" and commending Hopkinson's distinctive narrative voice, which "reminds us that...
– his grandiose bragging is known as "robber talk," a style which evolved from African Griot storytellers
Jab Jab -
Jab is the French Patois for 'Diable' (Devil), and Molassie is the French Patois for Mélasse (Molasses). The Jab Molassie is one of several varieties of devil mas played in Trinidad and Tobago carnival. The costume consists of short pants or pants cut off at the knee, and a mask and horns. The jab molassie would carry chains, and wear locks and keys around his waist, and carry a pitch fork. He may smear his body with grease, tar, mud or coloured dyes (red, green or blue). The jab molassie "wines" or gyrates to a rhythmic beat that is played on tins or pans by his imps. While some of his imps supply the music, others hold his chain, seemingly restraining him as he pulls against them in his wild dance.
The differences among the various forms of devil mas were once distinct, but have become blurred over time.
Dame Lorraine – an amply blessed woman – stuffed in the appropriate areas – dressed as an 18th century French aristocrat
External links
- Official Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Site – www.gotrinidadandtobago.com
- Calendar of Events at the Trinidad Tourism Site
- National Carnival Commission Official Website
- History and Carnival Information at the National Library
- Carnival Info Find Information and costumes for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
- Discover Carnival – the Global Carnival magazine featuring Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Culture and Entertainment
- Find costumes for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2010
- National Carnival Bandleaders Association of Trinidad & Tobago
- Unified Calypsonians Organisation of Trinidad & Tobago
- Discover Trinidad & Tobago
- Trinidad carnival band Trini Fever Crew
- Soca Monarch History