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Caribbean food and music come together at Carnival - the traditional hail and farewell to pleasures of the flesh preceding Ash Wednesday. But Carnival can occur at any time of the year throughout the islands, for it is primarily an island's celebration of itself . . . and an excuse to whoop it up. Many Carnivals are held in summer, when the children are home from school and off-island relatives can return on vacation. On southern islands, such as Aruba and Trinidad, Carnivals are nearly as lavish as Carnival in Rio; on small less-Latin islands they may be very simple, hardly more than glorified bake sales. But almost anywhere, count on costumes, floats, local foods, and a jump-up. Quintessentially Caribbean, a jump-up consists of steel bands swinging down the street, followed by a wild procession of everyone dancing, singing, clapping, and generally having the best time in the world.

Carnival is a magnificent explosion of elaborate costumes, music, singing, and dance that captures the creativity and natural exuberance of the Caribbean people. The date varies from island to island, but most carnivals take place in the run-up to Lent (Feb~March), while others celebrate the end of the sugar harvest (July-Aug.) or the anniversary of emancipation.

Europeans introduced carnival to the Caribbean, marking the approach of Lent, a traditional period of Christian abstinence ("carnival" is derived from the Italian carnevale meaning the removal of meat), with a hectic round of feasting and parties. After emancipation, former slaves hijacked the party season by introducing their own processions featuring folkloric characters, dancing, and African drumming, which, once banned by the authorities, became the core of the new Caribbean-style carnival.

The buildup to Lenten carnivals, such as the famous one in Trinidad begins soon after Christmas, when musicians take part in the hotly contested qualifying heats, and band members and dancers participating in the main carnival processions put the final touches to their costumes. Carnival begins in earnest on the Friday before Lent, and competitions held over the weekend decide the winners of the various calypso, steel-pan, and costume prizes. The main processions begin before dawn on Monday with a wild jump-up known as Jouvert (jour ouvert or daybreak in French Creole), followed by Tuesday's dazzling Mardi Gras parade.

Click Caribbean Carnival Show to learn more.

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