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Sunday, 29 April 2012
Pictures Of St. Thomas Carnival
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Videos From Dominica 2012 Carnival
4:08
Opening Carnival Parade - Dominica 2012
Check out this Flip video!
Dominica's Carnival 2012 ~ Opening Parade
This Opening Parade gives you a taste of what's to come for Dominica's Carnival celebrations on February 20th & 21st, 2012. The Parade takes place ...
THAT WE DRINKING - THE UNWANTED - DOMINICA CALYPSO / BOUYON 2012
brand new for Mas Domnik 2012 The unwantwed with his calypso tune That we drinking
Carnival in Dominica
Carnival in Dominica 2012, Day 1 Roseau. Chiling with the flow of people and rhythm of life. Dance, music and people, what else do you need in ...
Jourvert Morning Dominica 2012
Jourvert 4am Start of 2012 Carnival in Dominica 2012 J'ouvert or Jouvay is at the heart of Trinidad carnival, and is also celebrated in other ...
Carnival Queen Contestants 2012
Six contestants vie for the title of Ms. Dominica 2012 at Carnival City on February 17th. The beauties will compete in Best Evening Wear, Best ...
Roba la Gallina, Dominican Republic Carnival 2012
The Roba la Galinna or Chicken Robber is a fun art of the Dominican Republic Carnaval. These large people be it children, women or men dressed as ...
CHECKO - AM PM - DOMINICA CALYPSO 2012
ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR UP BEAT CALYPSO SONGS FOR MAS DOMNIK, DOMINICA CARNIVAL 2012 THIS ONE IS BY CHECKO
Dominica-Opening of real Mas carnival 2012
Carnival in the island of Dominica is The original carnival in the Caribbean. Music by ASA Bantan
Fanatik - Kontrol (Dominica Carnival 2012)
Fresh track for Dominica Carnival 2012 from Fanatik
Possie Carnival Opening 2012
Portsmouth Carnival opening 2012. presenting WCK, NBD Flag wavers and the die hard sewo fans.
Dominica: Opening of Carnival in the village of Grand Bay
Carnival in the island of Dominica is The original carnival in the Caribbean. These are photos taken from the village of Grand Bay on the opening ...
Unwanted & Sour Sour (Dominica Carnival 2012)
Backstage at Dominica's opening of Carnival 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Bacchanal Jamaica 2012
BACCHANAL
JAMAICA CARNIVAL 2012
(April 07th-16th)
When time and space cease to have real boundaries, when far away galaxies lure the exotic traveler, when the far reaches of the universe are the explorer’s last frontier, then mankind will have reached the “future”. Come go with us as we journey through time and space on a galactic quest that is "Bacchanal" Future Shock!
Bacchanal Jamaica is indeed the ideal way to celebrate our island spirit and showcase, to the world, all the best Jamaica has to offer as we enter our 50th anniversary of Independence. Over the past 24 years, Bacchanal Jamaica has developed the single entertainment package that unties thousands of Jamaicans and visitors for a 10 week “feel good festival”. In 2012 Bacchanal Jamaica offers over 10 weeks, twenty-one, high energy, fun-filled events.
(April 07th-16th)
When time and space cease to have real boundaries, when far away galaxies lure the exotic traveler, when the far reaches of the universe are the explorer’s last frontier, then mankind will have reached the “future”. Come go with us as we journey through time and space on a galactic quest that is "Bacchanal" Future Shock!
Bacchanal Jamaica is indeed the ideal way to celebrate our island spirit and showcase, to the world, all the best Jamaica has to offer as we enter our 50th anniversary of Independence. Over the past 24 years, Bacchanal Jamaica has developed the single entertainment package that unties thousands of Jamaicans and visitors for a 10 week “feel good festival”. In 2012 Bacchanal Jamaica offers over 10 weeks, twenty-one, high energy, fun-filled events.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Venezuela Carnival History
U.S Virgin Islands Carnival History
In the mid-1600s and 1700s Europeans from countries such as Spain, Portugal, France, England and Denmark colonized the islands of the Caribbean. They brought with them the celebrations and festivals that were familiar and naturally tried to replicate the familiar in the New World. European celebrations included religious holidays and came in a variety of forms such as dress balls, parties, house to house visits and street processions. European nations sought the islands for developing plantations and the primary source of labor was enslaved Africans from West and Central Africa. They too brought with them the celebrations and festival traditions that were familiar and tried, often with difficulty, to replicate them. Their festivals were organized around certain deities or spirits, to mark a transition in life or in the community and in recognition of changes in seasons whether related to climate or to agricultural production. They incorporated a variety of forms, quite often including singing or chanting, drumming, masking and a form of street theater with performer and audience participation.
Africans brought to the Caribbean the knowledge of how to make the items they used in festivals like drums and masks, and their uses. With this they could reproduce such items. In the U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly the Danish West Indies) for example, Africans made drums using just a skin stretched over a calabash or a small barrel. An empty pot also did the job. Traditional African drumming and dances however were often feared by Europeans. They thought these might be used to communicate secretly and to plan uprisings. Drumming was often banned and other laws tried to deny Africans of their cultural identity. They were often expected to abandon their own traditions and adopt at least part of the European culture.
Indeed enslaved Africans in the Caribbean were exposed to European celebrations and festival traditions, but they generally were not allowed to participate directly. European planters and their associates celebrated amongst themselves. In some cases missionaries were responsible for introducing religious holidays and related traditions to the enslaved Africans. In the face of being introduced to new traditions and having bans on old traditions, enslaved Africans persevered. They came from different parts of Africa and therefore had different traditions, but they extracted and reinvented things from collective memories. They were able to maintain some of these traditions by fitting them into accepted European festival and holiday framework. During holidays, like Christmas and New Years, enslaved people would usually have time off and an opportunity to celebrate. These times of celebration created momentum for the cultural fusion of the two groups’ traditions and for the development of new ones. African traditions were also maintained through concessions of plantation owners and in secret.
A
great example of the cultural fusion that took place is to look at two
popular dances considered to be U.S. Virgin Islands folk dances. The
(European) quadrille is a popular old-time dance. It is maintained today
through dance groups. It is said that plantation owners would
occasionally call on members of the enslaved African community, the ones
known to be good musicians, to entertain at parties. Perhaps in this
way the dance passed along. Another dance once popular and still
preserved in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the (African) bamboula. As
previously noted African dances and the drumming that went with them
were feared and often banned. Historical accounts from the late 1700’s
however indicate that talented dancers from amongst the enslaved people
were sometimes brought to the plantation house to perform. This shows
that the African dance tradition was being maintained, likely in secret
and eventually, at least on some plantations, it was accepted.
Music and dance were integral parts of celebrations during the plantation era in the Caribbean. These traditions continued to evolve over time; as did the various periods of celebration. Though most celebrations occurred around Christmas and the pre-lent festival of Carnival some were planned around the agricultural cycle, the end of the sugar cane harvest for example. It is from these various festivals with their creolized music, dance and masquerading traditions that Carnival developed.
Today Carnival is celebrated across the Caribbean. On some islands the festival has endured almost annually since the 1800s. On other islands the 1900s saw various festival traditions being revived into Carnival, often incorporating elements from neighboring islands. Carnival is however much more than a modern festival with remnants of contributing traditions, both European and African. While retaining similarities it has evolved into something that is also different – enough so to be considered uniquely Caribbean.
Carnival in the U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Thomas:
The first Carnival in St. Thomas was on February 14, 1912 and the
second in 1914 – both while the islands were part of the Danish West
Indies. The early Carnival celebrations included activities that are
part of current Carnivals like bands, Carnival queen, special games and a
parade. After 1914 it would be 38 years before there was another
Carnival on St. Thomas. During this time music, masquerading and dancing
continued on special days, holidays and other events. Some of these
traditions began to lose some ground as they competed with new trends
brought to the island by immigration and travel. In 1952 a radio
personality named Ron De Lugo was reminiscing about festival traditions.
De Lugo sent out a call that there should be a Carnival. Some people in
the community did not think it was a good idea, the population was very
aware of class distinctions and there wasn’t much social life between
them. De Lugo many years later in an interview noted that on Carnival
parade day he feared that no one would show up. But people did show up,
and Carnival has been going annually ever since. Over the years
additional elements have been added. It is currently a three week event
taking place in April and is called V.I. Carnival.
St. Croix:
St. Croix’s Carnival is called the Crucian Christmas Festival and it
became an annual event in 1952 with the revival of old holiday
traditions transformed into modern Carnival. Dating back at least to the
early-1800s enslaved Africans on St. Croix were allowed to celebrate
Christmas and New Years. The celebrations on plantations included
drumming, singing and dancing. In the main towns it involved parading
through the streets of town singing, dancing and playing drums; often
stopping door to door for rum and wine. Masquerading was popular during
Christmas and other holidays including Easter and Whit Monday. These
traditions continued into the early 1900s but saw some decline. Social
events kept music traditions and dances like the quadrille, lancers and
bomboula alive. The Carnival festival collected traditions into one big
event with a focus on the former holiday celebrations. The event has
become more and more organized each year and has incorporated additional
events. Today it last about four weeks starting in December and ending
with the parades in January.
St. John: The Carnival celebrations on St. John have triple celebration power. It is Carnival and it takes place during two important holidays; Emancipation Day - a local holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery and 4th of July/Independence Day - the U.S. holiday commemorating independence. In 1960 the 4th of July celebrations on St. John evolved into Carnival and the festival lasted more than a week. Today the event last several weeks and culminates on the 4th of July. It is called the St. John Festival.
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