Carnival
Carnival marks the approach
of Lent and its sober disciplines. The word "Carnival" comes from the Latin
phrase carne vale and means "farewell to the flesh." There is no
experience on earth to compare with Trinidad Carnival. Months before Carnival, songs pour
from recording studios, costumes are stitched by the thousands, and pannists practice in
their pan yards. All of these activities are done in preparation for the first major
events of Carnival which begin the weekend before Lent.
 Leo Basso, Still Life with Cocoa Pod,
c. 1960
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Saturday:
•Children participate in Kiddie Carnival.
•Steel bands compete.
•Bands display their best costumes for the King and Queen of the Bands awards
given each year.Sunday:
•Sunday is also called "Dimanche Gras" (di•mahnsh' • gra),
or Fat Sunday.
•Winners are selected for the king, queen, and steel band of Carnival.
Monday:
•At dawn, J'Ouvert begins. Masqueraders cover themselves in mud and
dance to more rhythmic and basic percussive sounds than the amplified sounds of the bands
during the main Carnival.
•The Road March begins in the afternoon and continues through the
day.
Tuesday:
•Soca and calypso music are performed all day and night.
•Carnival bands jam together.
•No one sleeps! |
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Food
The cuisine of
Trinidad and Tobago blends various ethnic foods from as far away as India and Africa.
Black cake:
This rich cake is made with dried fruit (raisins, currants, or prunes) soaked in a cherry
brandy rum. Iced and decorated, it is the traditional wedding cake.
Doubles:
This Indian-inspired dish consists of curried chick peas served between two soft circles
of fried dough called bara.
Callaloo:
This green stew is made with a slippery blend of okra, dasheen leaves, and seasonings. It
is often flavored with hot pepper and whole blue back crabs.
Pastelles: These
compact patties of minced meats are seasoned with olives, capers, and raisins, folded in
pure corn dough, wrapped in banana leaves, and then steamed. |