Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is the event of the year. It is said that if the islanders are not celebrating it, then they are preparing for it, while reminiscing about the past year's festival.The heart of the musical celebration has been calypso. Recently, soca has replaced calypso as the most celebrated type of music.
Trinidad Carnival has been copied by many of the islands in the West Indies. Most notably Barbados crop over, St. Vincent, and Antigua carnival. Calypso, soca, steelpan, the costumes, the competitions (such as Panorama, Calypso Monarch, King and Queen of the bands, J'ouvert and roadmarch king), were all pioneered by Trinidad and Tobago carnival and copied throughout the Caribbean. Toronto Caribana, and Miami carnival also have their roots in Trinidad carnival.
As with other Carnivals, many participants wear elaborate costumes, often decorated with feathers and sequins. Carnival "bands" are organized groups made up of participants who pay for costumes fashioned by a designer and assembled by teams of volunteers. The costumed participants dance through the streets to the sounds of a steel band, a soca band or a d.j. - this is called "playing mas'". A unique feature of this parade is that locals and tourists alike participate in the parade of bands. Each band is led by a King and Queen, who wear extremely large costumes, often requiring extensions and wheels to assist the masquerader to carry it through the streets. Each year on Dimanche Gras (Carnival Sunday), a competition is held to award the King and Queen of Carnival title to two of these masqueraders.
On Carnival Monday and Tuesday, the bands are in competition to win the Band of the Year title. Small monetary prizes are associated with these titles, though they do not cover the full amount of producing the band's music or the King's or Queen's costumes. Participation occurs at all levels of society; three-time calypso monarch David Rudder described it as "from bourgeois to grassroots." Children participate from as early as parents can get them into costume; sometime even strollers are decorated.
Children can extend their fun by participating in smaller "Kiddies Carnival" shows, competitions and parades as early as 4 weeks before the culmination of the festival. For weeks ahead, several preliminary rounds of competitions and parties (or fêtes) take place. As Carnival is part of the national curriculum, several programs take place at schools across the country. Regional authorities handle smaller carnival celebrations in smaller towns and villages.
Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago originally had its roots in both West African festivals and French Catholic carnival celebrations, where masks were donned and social visits ensued. When the use of drums and religious practices were prohibited, slaves (and then former slaves) found novel ways to pass on their heritage. Carnival then grew with African influences from the slaves who added singing, dancing, and music to transform Carnival into what we see today. Carnival is celebrated two days before Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent.
