Liming & Wining at the Carnival in Trinidad

2 years ago, we made it to the Carnival in Tobago. This year, we made it to the one in Trinidad! 

Glad that we had our friends Daniela and Rolf with us this time around. We caught the local maxi taxi (6 TTD/person) in the early morning of Tuesday, 28th February 2017 (and by early we mean 9am) from Chaguaramas (opposite Power Boats) and arrived at the maxi taxi terminal in Port of Spain, in just half an hour! (Fantastic! We had smooth traffic!)

We walked along with the masqueraders who were dressed in glittery, feathery, colorful skimpy costumes followed closely by their Carnival band of deafening music trucks, drinks trucks and wee wee trucks. It's a HUGE street party! I didn't realise how loud the music was until we walked away from the crowd and I couldn't hear a thing! 

The rain came down on us in the afternoon, but the masqueraders marched on. No rain can dampened their high spirits! Dancing and singing to the tunes of the hit song "Full Extreme" by MX Prime and Ultimate Rejects which was played over and over.  

𝄞𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮{ “Recession, doh bother we/promote ah fete/an you go see/we go party/to the full extreme/an light it up with gasolene/oh lord, the city could bun down/we jammin still/the building could fall down/we jammin still/just hold them and wuk dem/no, we doh business/oye, no we doh business...”.}𝄞𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮

Funny thing, when I first heard the song, I thought the lyrics were "we jumpin' still" or "we jam and steal" or maybe "steel" (for steelbands, which are popular here). Anyway.. 😄, I was kinda close though, thanks to google, the official lyrics are "we jammin still".

At times like this, I'm really grateful for the internet because I remember the days when I'd sing along to popular hit songs for years only to discover that the lyrics were completely different to what I had thought.
 

At Queen Savannah Park

𝄞𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮{ We jammin still }𝄞𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮 It was an awesome day! A nice break from all the boat stuff and so happy we got to spend a lovely day with our dear friends from S/Y Yelo.

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Carnival in Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago

We were fortunate to have made it in time for Carnival which was held on the 16th & 17th of February 2015. We heard that it is better to go on Tuesdays, and so we did.

The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The event is well known for its participants' colourful costumes and exuberant celebrations which begin right after Christmas. Here's some info about its origin..

"Like the cosmopolitan mix of peoples and cultures that shaped the island, Trinidad's Carnival has many influences. The Spanish and English colonial powers, French planters, African slaves, Indian indentured labourers, and the many other ethnic groups that settled here have all left an indelible mark on the festival.

In 1783 the French brought their culture, customs and Carnival, in the form of elaborate masquerade balls, to Trinidad along with African slaves. The period stretching between Christmas and the start of Lent was a time for feasting, fancy dress balls and celebration for both the French and British.

Banned from the festivities, slaves in the barrack yards would hold their own celebrations mimicking their masters' behaviour while incorporating rituals and folklore. Once slavery was abolished in 1838, the freed Africans took their Carnival to the streets and, as each new immigrant population entered Trinidad, a new flavour was added to the festivities. Today, our diverse culture has influenced the music, food and traditions of Carnival."

 
We thoroughly enjoyed watching the people dance in their colourful costumes on the street. The energy was fantastic! Even though we heard its not as elaborate as the one in Trinidad... it was a great experience for us nonetheless.

 

Carnival Time

King George and I

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