CARNIVAL
- Introduction to Carnival
Carnival was first influenced by the French who, in days of old, set the pattern for the season spreading from Christmas to Ash Wednesday. There were concerts and balls, dinners and Fetes Champetres and within the season one could witness bands of individuals disguised going to the balls, accompanied by bands of musicians.
With the emancipation of slaves in 1838, Carnival underwent a sudden change, becoming then a festival of protest of the masses. The emancipated Negroes used the festival to mimic and satirise their colonial masters. Awe-inspiring characters, for example the Devils, Jab Molassie, Robbers and Wild Indians dominated the Carnival of the Ex-slaves. The thrusting forks of the Jab Molassies, the use of grease, mud, oil and paint effectively mocked what was formally a grand affair.
Carnival is officially ushered in by the J’ouvert celebrations at 4 o’ clock on Carnival Monday morning where the masqueraders portray characters emphasizing the comic and the absurd, in fact, the physical derelicts of society. This is in startling contrast to the pretty mas later on Monday and for all of Tuesday.
Trinidad Carnival has conquered great civilizations over the years in their Carnival band presentations. Bands themselves have traversed the sky, the land the sea, moved from ancient Greece and Rome to Africa and Great Britain in the Modern World. In fact, historical bands dominated traditional Carnival since 1927; for over 25 years bandleaders, notably Harold Saldenha, portrayed historical events in colour and glory. Themes such as The glory that was Greece, Ye saga of Merrie England, Holy War, Byzantine Glory, have all filled the Band of the Year honour list.
Enter the 1970’s and band themes made a complete turnaround. Gone were history and foreign legend and in came fantasy and imaginative productions with emphasis on colour –bold, blazing colour. The bandleaders of the 1970’s emphasized and expanded on the concept of presentations which were extremely colourful. One of the more popular bandleaders, Raoul Garib, stresses that “Carnival is a spectacle. Mas must appeal to the eye.”
taken from www.nalis.gov.tt/carnival/carnival.htm
- Typical Characters in Carnival Mas Celebrations
DAME LORRAINE
Portrayed by both men and women, the Dame lorraine was a satire on the French upper class women, often exaggerating the size of her bust and derriere to great proportions.
MOKO JUMBIE
This mas is well-known throughout the Caribbean. It is an authentic African masquerade mounted on sticks. The stilt walker plays on stilts 10 to 12 feet high. His costume consists of a brightly coloured skirt or pants, jacket and elaborate hat. He would dance through the streets all day, and collect money from people on the upper floors and balconies. His dance was similar to a jig, and he was often accompanied by a drum, flute and triangle .
JAB JAB
The name of this mas is derived from the French patois for 'Diable Diable". It is pretty devil mas. The costume consists of satin knickers, and satin shirt with points of cloth at the waist, from which bells hang. On the chest, there is a shaped cloth panel which is decorated with swansdown, rhinestones and mirrors. Stockings and alpagatas are worn on the feet, while the headress consists of a hood with stuffed cloth horns. The costume can come in alternating colours and be divided into front and back panels. The Jab Jab has a thick whip of plaited hemp which he swings and cracks threateningly. These whips can reduce the costumes of other Jab Jabs to threads.
JAB MOLASSIE
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 malassie 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.
MIDNIGHT ROBBER
Midnight robber is one of the Carnival’s more prominent characters. The robber talks in rhyme, to display his great past. Robber talk, also popular at this time, is a battle between robbers. It requires the person to talk in rhyme to outdo his opponent in a battle of words. The winner is the one who cleverly and easily uses his words to defeat his opponent.
SAILOR MAS
This character was introduced in the 1880s when British, French and American naval ships came to Trinidad. It is one of the more popular costumes, being lightweight and inexpensive. There are several variations on the sailor mas including Free French Sailor, King Sailor, and Fancy Sailor to name a few.
The costume of the Free French sailor consists of a black beret with the name of the ship on the rim of the beret, a tight-fitting short sleeve bow neck jersey with horizontal blue and white stripes, long, bell-bottomed black melton pants, and black shoes.
- How can the various aspects of Carnival be used to encourage the development of positive qualities in young people today?
Carnival occurs during the second month of each year and is described as a festival of colours and natural heritage by many. It is a period where creativity is sparked, where festivities become top priority, and where the country’s true colours are unveiled. Though Carnival brings with it elevated crime rates, it does provide a source of revenue and a sense of unity to the people of the nation, especially to its’ youth.
For the youths especially, Carnival is a time for their talents to show, be it in calypso, steelpan, or junior monarchs. Calypso inspires the creative talent of writing and singing in many young men and women, and gives them the incentive to build their own confidence while speaking about issues that they are affected by most. Calypso helps one voice to be heard amidst a sea of other, more seasoned ones.
The music of the steelpan is a treasure to the ears of the nation, and it is no small feat to capture the essence and beauty of Carnival the way pannists do. Each individual steelpan in a band contributes to form one collective sound to create a celestial chorus of music that serenades and softens every soul. Steelpans, being the country’s national instrument, invokes a sense of pride to the pannist and encourages team work to be part of the bands in “Panorama”.
The junior “King and Queen of the band” are titles given to the best costume in the ‘Mas Parade’. In this aspect of Carnival, plumes cover the sky in a canopy of colour, and sequins glitter as the brightest jewels do, as these auspicious youth parade in a pageant of costumes. There is a sense of pride that fills the air as they move to the rhythm of the music, and surrender themselves to the spirit of Carnival.
Carnival is a celebration of the culture of a nation and the passion of the people involved in its’ festivities. Even though negative experiences may result from the celebrations, surely there is enough positive impact to influence the youth of the nation into patriots; proud of their country, and certainly enough experience for a lifetime is gained.
Diann S. Ramlackhan