History of Carnival

Carnival: a word that sparks images of a multihued sea of colour, undulations of the body to match those of the crowd, and the pulse of revelry pounding strong in the veins of all. It is a word that means CELEBRATION. Though Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago has always been synonymous with festival, it did not start out as the colourful, all-inclusive phenomenon that we are familiar with today.

Carnival is traditionally celebrated before Lent, as a kind of last hurrah before the solemnity of the Lenten period. During the time of slavery on the island, when power was firmly in the hands of the white plantation owners (French and English), a Carnival of sorts was celebrated by the upper class in the form of masquerade balls, fancy outdoor parties and street festivities. Of course, slaves and mixed race individuals were never allowed to participate in these gatherings, though they no doubt celebrated within their own communities.

At some of these upper class affairs, the planters would outfit themselves in costumes, perhaps most commonly as Negues Jadin (a corruption of the French word for garden negroes), and re-enact a custom known as Cannes Brulées (burned cane), where slaves were gathered in order to put out fires in the fields. The exclusivity of these events, however prized, did not last; with the announcement of Emancipation in 1838, the Africans chose to exercise their freedom with their own recreation of Cannes Brulées (now known as Canboulay), accompanied by the Kalenda, or the stick fighting dance that later became well-entrenched into the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago, singing, and marches that were the precursors to the parades we see today. From these vibrant traditions - and the desire to mock the upper class through ridiculous imitation - grew the characters of Old Mas (or early masquerade) - the Baby Doll, Bookman, the Burrokeet, the Cow Band, Jab Jabs, Jab Molassie, the Midnight Robber, Moko Jumbies, Dame Lorraine, Fancy Sailors etc.

For a time, the Africans engaged in their own festivities freely, entering the streets and ignoring the disapproval of the ruling class. Eventually however, disapproval and criticisms won out, and legislation was passed banning many of the practices associated with Carnival. This suppressive action was met with violent resistance from the masqueraders, and the laws were subsequently repealed, though the Carnival remained restricted in certain ways.

As Trinidad and Tobago entered the twentieth century, some of the separation that had so marked the previous eras dissipated and the upper class joined the street festivities of the lower class, though they were careful to remain aloof on the upper levels of decorated trucks. With the introduction of vehicles came the mobilization of Mas, and the beginning of what a modern day viewer would recognize as today’s Carnival. The masqueraders were broken into ‘bands’, meaning groups of people all wearing the same costume, or costumes that all matched a particular theme. Creative individuals within the bands, band leaders, came up with new ideas and designs every year, and Carnival costumes evolved with each innovation. By the 1950s, fierce competition had arisen among band leaders to have the most spectacular costumes and to win the coveted “Band of the Year” award. Costumes of this time period were stunning pieces, bedecked with all manner of decoration, facilitating the establishment of a new type of masquerade - Pretty Mas. Pretty Mas was quite different from Old Mas and Traditional Mas, but like the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the different types of masquerade together merged into something more beautiful than any one of the three.

The festival of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago continued to grow and change until it became the present day spectacle well-known to people in all corners of the globe. Trinbagonians and foreigners alike celebrate today, starting the revelry at 3 a.m., slathered in paint, mud and oil for J’ouvert, only to continue later in the day dressed in incredible costumes, dancing to the music of the steel drum, calypso and soca.

Throughout the Carnival week (the week preceding the Parade days), enthusiasts can watch the magnificent creations of band leaders up on stage, worn by men and women all contending for the titles of the King and Queen of Carnival. People also gather to cheer at Panorama, the biggest steel drum competition in the world, and for those artists who battle to be the Monarchs of Calypso and Soca.

Trinbagonian Carnival has inspired many similar festivals all over the world in New York, Miami, Toronto, Notting Hill, Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada, but none can compare to the original, what is truly The Greatest Show on Earth.