Trinidad and Tobago - Destination Handbook

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There are many places that boast of having
spectacular Carnival celebrations – from Rio
and New Orleans to Notting Hill. But nothing
compares to the excitement, the fun, the drama
and the veritable art of ‘making mas’ in Trinidad
and Tobago…
The two days of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago
are not official public holidays – but they might
as well be – almost everyone is out on the streets,
dancing, ‘jumping up’, ‘wining down’ and
basically having a ball. Although Carnival, in
the strictest sense, really comprises the Monday
and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday, the
celebrations begin right after Christmas – because
nothing about Carnival is strict. Almost as soon
as the holy observation of Christmas Day is over,
radio stations begin to blast the newest hits of the
upcoming season – the season of the flesh.
As a matter of fact, this is where the term Carnival
actually came from – the Latin Carne Vale or
‘farewell to the flesh’.
Believe it or not, these heated celebrations were
actually religious in origin – revelers were allowed
to enjoy themselves one last time before facing
the stringent deprivation of the Lenten season.
This was how the ‘bacchanal’ started – in homage
to the god Bacchus, Lord of Wine and Revelry.
In its early days, what is now a national festival
was really a wild frenzy reserved for the masses
– the upper classes chose not to participate,
but rather to watch. These were the days where
creativity sparkled, giving rise to many of our
traditional Carnival characters such as Dame
Lorraine (a well-endowed woman), Jab Jab
(a devil-like creation that would threaten you
jovially with horns and three-pronged fork),
Pierrot Grenade (like a Greek chorus, commenting
on topical issues in rhyme) and Midnight Robber,
all of which are still popular portrayals to this day.
At this time, the steelpan was coming to the
forefront as a viable musical instrument – the only
‘acoustic’ instrument invented in the 20 th Century
– and the musicians and artisans of Trinidad and
Tobago were its loving creators. Today, pan is
not only recognized worldwide, it is mainstream
locally, with thousands of us flocking to the annual
Panorama competition to see if our favourite
steelband will reign supreme.
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