There was a moment of near-panic when a police car forced its way through the crowd, and I learned later that in the pushing and shoving a knife fight had broken out just behind us. But still, the vibe here was overwhelmingly sweet.
A teenager planted himself in front of me and announced that I looked "too nice," a condition he corrected by gently anointing my face with fresh paint.
I don't know the origins of this orgy of body-painting, and I am glad I hadn't joined one of the Jouvay bands that use chocolate or mud instead, but I know its effect: race was dissolved; even age and gender became theoretical concepts. In the tradition of Western sociology, crowds are dangerous because they can turn into mobs.
So when a contingent from our procession broke away to chase a group of Chinese men watching from the sidelines, I ran along anxiously behind them.
Was there resentment of these workers, imported to build downtown skyscrapers? Would there be violence? No, the Jouvay celebrants just wanted to cover the foreigners in paint, and the Chinese were doubling over with laughter as they escaped. This was the true and ancient spirit of carnival: there can be no spectators, only participants, and everyone must be anointed. Sunrise found us in a small public square, and in a condition far from the one we'd started in.
We'd been moving through the streets for over three hours, powered by beers passed from hand to hand, and even my ultra-buff American friend was beginning to sag.
People were still chipping away, raising their heads toward the already-hot blue sky in a kind of triumph. Hardly anyone was noticeably drunk, but we were annihilated, as individuals anyway—footsore, bone-tired, dripping with paint and sweat. We were, in some transcendent way, perfected. But carnival has many faces and many moods, with different towns observing it in their own special ways.
At dusk we were in the tiny mountain town of Paramin, sitting at an outdoor fried-chicken place. The townspeople were slowly assembling on the edge of the road, drinking beer and chipping to a sound system that had been erected just behind our table. At nightfall, the sound system fell silent, and ten men beating drums made out of biscuit tins emerged from the darkness—a reminder of the Trinidadian ingenuity at drawing music out of industrial detritus, like the island's steel drums, traditionally crafted from oil barrels.
Behind the drummers came 20 people of indeterminate age and gender, covered in blue paint, some wearing grotesque devil masks, others leering hideously, leaping and writhing. Then another band of drummers, followed by another contingent from hell.
In the dim light of dawn no one is paying attention to the details, but the energy of the thousands who take to the streets is irresistible. Ole mas competitions pit rival masqueraders — dressed in their own or borrowed old clothes, often incongruously composed and cryptically elaborated by a satirical placard usually of something socially or politically topical — against each other for the prize. Puns are a mainstay for the placards and costumes. This is the raw, elemental, sometimes even confrontational belly of Carnival that takes over in the wee hours before daybreak, and is not for the prissy or the squeamish.
You see all these people, all these people are your community and you realise, you feel a strong sense of love and you realise that what you are really doing is renewing a vow to love these people for the year coming. This celebration of love is the start of the mas.
The streets are often deserted, with large grease and paint stains on pavement walls the only evidence of the earlier celebrations. Photo: Chris Anderson. Almost no-one is in full costume, though — the joy is in just being in the streets. The object for most bands is to follow a specific route passing before all the judging posts, where adjudicators will choose the next Band of the Year. At each of these judging points, the bands slow down and the masqueraders get the chance to play themselves — or really let go!
Band DJs then choose the most popular party tunes to whip up the crowd into a frenzy. The judges then count the number of times each song is played, and the leader wins the Road March title. The only break in the activities — allowing those who have not slept since the previous Thursday night a little rest — comes on Monday night, though some people still party all through the night into Tuesday morning.
Tuesday starts early, and the bands march through the streets once more, stopping only for lunch, and going until they can go no more. Some with less energy crash at sundown, but other keep going with the bands, following the huge music trucks until late at night, maybe ending up at a Last Lap fete. Then and only then do we all finally get some sleep. They introduced their own musical instruments and dance movements.
The drum replaced the fiddle, the poui stick dethroned the sword, while the nut and minard gave way to the Kalenda and Bamboula. The vigour and vibrancy of the African masquerade, the militaristic nature of the Kalenda dance and the violence of the stick fighting rituals, were frowned upon by the ruling class. The Kalenda Calinda , a stick dance probably of African origin, was a popular form of entertainment for male slaves.
It is an agile and dexterous dance performed to drums and chants while the dancers engage in mock combat with their sticks bois. In the second half of the 19th century Canboulay and stick-fights dominated the Carnival.
The main activity in the Canboulay was the stick-fight. The term Kalenda emerged as a general term for the stick-fight, the dance, the songs and other performances that accompanied it. The stick-fight involved two persons at a time with sticks three and a half to four feet long, who would Karay — take up a defensive position — in the middle of a circle gayelle and try to draw blood.
The stick fighters were organized into bands representing different social groups. They were lead by a lead singer called a chantuelle or chanteuse, whose duty it was to egg on the fighters. The chantuelle was supported by a chorus of women. The purpose of the singing was to deride the opponent in song. The torchbearers, carrying flambeaux, led the march. They were followed by the batonnieres or stick fighters, then came the king and queen and royal attendants, body of supporters, substitute stick men, paraders, chanteuse, lead band.
They all marched to kalenda songs accompanied by horns, conch shells, rattles and skin drums. It was used at that time to describe a certain class in the community. They were the stickfighters, prostitutes, chantuelles, matadors and dustmen. They lived in appalling conditions in areas which were rife with all the conditions for social instability: crime, vagrancy, disease, prostitution, unemployment, sexual permissiveness and dysfunctional families.
It is no wonder, therefore, that Carnival was embraced with such fervour. For the Jamettes, it was a necessary release from the struggle that was their daily lives.
The view of the whites was that the Carnival activities were immoral, obscene and violent. The kalenda, the drumming, the dances and the sexually explicit masquerades were thought to be totally objectionable.
They were fully supported in this view by the contemporary press. Throughout this period there was a sustained attack on Carnival in most newspaper editorials. This ranged from outright condemnation to calls for a total ban. This was also the era of repressive legislation. However, it took more than legislation and police batons to stop the Carnival. The more repressive the legislation, the more aggressive were the responses. Finally, in masqueraders carried out a planned resistance against the police who attempted to stop the revelry.
By acknowledging the importance of the Carnival to the people he proved that it was much more than just music, masquerade and dance but rather a necessary form of cultural expression. Unfortunately, this reprieve was short-lived. The people's Canboulay Festival was abolished in and replaced with a restricted festival which took place at dawn on the Monday preceding Ash Wednesday.
The Canboulay and the stickfighters were eventually driven underground. Stickfighting, however, continued to flourish in rural areas from Tunapuna to Sangre Grande in the east and Freeport to Moruga in central and south Trinidad. The first two decades of the twentieth century marked the gradual re-entry of the upper classes into the festival, after having withdrawn from the celebrations for most of the latter half of the nineteenth century. They returned after the Carnival was purged of some of its 'coarser' elements.
However, they did not take to the streets but came in their decorated trucks and lorries. It took another forty years before they rejoined the street masquerade. Until then, they restricted their participation to house parties, club dances and fancy balls. Once again, Carnival took on a more organized and European character.
In , the first major Carnival stage spectacle was presented by the Les Amantes de Jesus Society — a voluntary organization under the leadership of M. Joseph Scheult. The Society gave an annual charity ball on Carnival Monday night. This started in the s and continued until This period saw increased participation by the various ethnic groups and classes in society.
The private sector also became involved, organizing competitions and sponsoring prizes. This annual masquerade ball was organized by the Society of Les Amantes De Jesus, when a new venue necessitated a change from a ball to a stage spectacle.
This stage presentation attempted to weave together all the main strands of Carnival — dance, costume and characters. It was celebrated on Carnival Sunday night under the auspices of the Carnival Committee and continues to be the premier Pre-Carnival celebration. In the early s, with the rise in nationalism, the government decided that Carnival was too important a national festival to be left in the hands of private enterprise.
The CDC Carnival Development Committee was therefore set up in and given the responsibility of managing the carnival celebrations. The festival began to resemble its present day form with Jour Ouvert later anglicized to J'Ouvert opening Carnival Monday from 4. By mid-century, Carnival was completely under the control of the central government.
This meant more funding, more structure and increased participation by all sectors. Bandleaders and designers sought inspiration from history, films, great personalities and world events as they conceptualized their portrayals winning pieces.
The economic aspect of Carnival was evident even then as businessmen responded to the opportunities created for the importation of fine fabrics and accessories for costumes. Masqueraders too, were aware of the benefits of being crowned King or Queen of Carnival. By the mids, mas became very competitive and a "Band of the Year" award was initiated in to recognize the effort that was being put into the presentations. In , participation was on the increase and more than ten bands crossed the Queen's Park Savannah stage with over masqueraders.
In , an innovative bandleader from Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain, by the name of George Bailey, made a stunning appearance on the mas scene, at the young age of 21, and changed the face of Carnival forever.
The extensive research that was reflected in the splendour of Bailey's presentation compelled others to follow suit in later years.
It would be the first and only time in the 20th century that this feat would be accomplished by a steelband. By the mids, bands began to move from historical to fantasy themes and by , the masquerading population was on the increase. Other Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, St. Vincent and Grenada have similar festivities but Trinidad and Tobago Carnival remains the greatest show on earth. Often an individual plays one specific persona year after year and is familiar with the traditions associated with that role.
The custom is usually passed on orally to family members or other interested persons. The masqueraders would offer entertainment in the form of humour, songs or skits in exchange for money.
In some cases threats and scare tactics were used to coerce bystanders into giving them cash. Some of the best known characters are as follows:. The masquerader portrays a gaily dressed woman, decked out in a frilled dress and bonnet. In her arms she carries a doll which symbolises an illegitimate baby. The masquerader usually stops male passers-by and accuses them of being the baby's father.
She would then demand money to buy milk for the baby. This character was sometimes portrayed by a man who would speak in a high-pitched voice.
BATS The bat costume is normally black or brown and fitted tightly over the masquerader's body. The headpiece covers the head entirely, with the player being able to see through the mouth, or lifting it up to his forehead. Leather shoes with metal claws for toes are normally used. Ordinary shoes can also be adapted by attaching of long socks, metal claws and a second sole.
The bat wings are made from wire and bamboo or cane, and are covered with the same cloth as the skin-fitting costume.
These wings can extend to 12 or 15 feet, and the masquerader's arms are fastened to them. Matching gloves complete the costume. There is a bat dance to go with the costume. During performance, the masquerader crawls, flaps, dances on his toes, and folds his wings in a series of choreographed movements, imitating those of the bat. The other two groups of characters in the devil band are the imps and beasts.
The Bookman's costume consists of Tudor-style pants, or a richly embroidered gown made of velvet and satin, with a pleated or fluted bodice, and a flowing cape festooned with biblical scenes. On his head is an oversized head mask which contains small horns and carries a demonic expression.
The face of this mask is supposed to mirror the face of the devil himself. The Bookman carries a pen and a large book in which he writes the names of prospective souls for the devil. The Bookman is the principal character in the devil band, and, in keeping with his status, his movement is waltz-like, with constant bowing.
Musical accompaniment is provided by an orchestra of trumpet, saxophones, bass and drums playing conventional tunes. This masquerade was derived from both the East Indian culture and the Venezuelan Spaniards.
The costume is comprised of a well-decorated donkey's head made from coloured paper. This head is attached to a bamboo frame.
The masquerader enters through a hole at the back of the donkey's neck and carries the reins in his hands, thereby creating the illusion that he is its rider. The body of the donkey is covered in a long satin skirt with a sisal rope tail, sometimes decorated with flowers.
The bit and bridle are made of coloured cord. The rider wears a satin skirt and a large matador straw hat and dances in a way that mimmicks the antics of a donkey. He also performs a dance called Burriquite, which originated in Venezuela. These costumes were completely covered with dried plantain leaves.
Members of the band would frolic and move through the crowds behaving like real cows. This masquerade became dormant for a few years, and was later revived by the employees of the abattoir, and became part of the J'Ouvert celebrations.
In later years, on Carnival Tuesday, the Cow Band came out in brightly coloured costumes, with picadors and a matador who would challenge the cows. The cow character's costume consisted of tight-fitting breeches of yellow velvet or satin, with gold braid and spangles along the sides and around the bottom at the knees, a tight-fitting maroon satin long-sleeved blouse completely covered with a soutache decoration of gold braid, gloves, cream stockings and alpagatas.
A well-secured cap-like contraption on the head supported a pair of highly polished cow horns. A short section of the hairy part of the cow's tail was attached to the seat of the breeches. An imported wire gauze mask replaced the cow mask of the previous day. Male singers and the musicians wore yellow breeches, maroon shirts with billowing sleeves tight at the wrist, a sash around the waist and red beret.
The women wore yellow skirts, red or maroon bodices, and headties. All wore masks of the wire gauze type, those of the women being decorated with gold braid along the forehead and at the sides, with gaudy earrings dangling from them. Music was provided by such string instruments as the mandolin, teeplay, bandol, banjo, cuatro, guitar, violin and chac-chacs maracas.
They also performed the sophisticated dances of the period. The liberated slaves recreated these costumes — complete with elaborate fans and hats — in their own fashion, using materials that were readily available, such as assorted rags and imitation jewellery-type items, but emphasizing and exaggerating the physical characteristics, and dancing to small bandol and cuatro bands.
The major Dame Lorraine performers through the years however, were descendants of the French planters and persons of some respectability, who hid behind masks, mainly of the fine wire mesh variety, and found their way into the downtown Old Yards, where they paraded and danced for all and sundry.
The tune which became associated with the Dame Lorraines still exists, and is played whenever they appear in groups at cultural events. The wearer decides how expensive or expansive he wants this costume to be. The headpiece, in its simplest form, is worn with feathers sticking up, and more feathers making tails down the back.
More elaborate headpieces are built over bamboo or wire frames. The headpiece then becomes so heavy, it needs to be supported by a structure that covers the masquerader's entire body.
Bands of Indians can comprise a warrior chief and his family, a group of chiefs, or a group of warriors. The Fancy Indian is the most popular variety of Indian mas. A feature of this mas is the language or languages they speak, in a call and response pattern, possibly adapted from the Black Indians of the New Orleans Mardi Gras and their characteristic movements.
Other kinds of Indians that are disappearing are generally known as Wild Indians. There are also Black Indians or African Indians. Sounds of the Trinidad Carnival You will also hear the sweet sounds steelpans from various steelbands. And if you happen to love the sweet sounds of steelpans, you can attend Panorama , the largest steelband competition in the world and one of the most popular competitions during Carnival.
Mas For anybody who plans to play Mas , advance registration is needed for many of the bands and it is important to book early so that you may be in the same section as your friends. SteelBands Carnival in Trinidad would be nothing without the sweet sound of the steelbands. Not many people know this, but the pan was invented in Trinidad and many bands have legions of loyal fans.
If you happen to be steelpan fanatic, you cannot afford to miss the Trinidad Carnival Calypso and Soca The sounds of calypso and soca fuel the fetes and tents that keep the Carnival crowds going from dusk to dawn.
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