A love letter to Trinidad & Tobago Carnival.

Errol Payne’s portrayal as the Plumed Serpent (1974).

My mom always says that Carnival is about self-expression and freedom. The older I get and the more I learn about carnival, the more I understand what she means. Carnival began with the enslaved peoples of T&T. French plantation owners would hold masquerade balls two days before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent), seeing as the enslaved peoples were not allowed to join in on the festivities, they decided to make their own celebration based off of the French's festivities, named Canboulay. They would make their costumes and parade around with music (these costumes are known today as traditional mas and are a part of our folklore). This celebration would eventually become what we know today as Carnival.   

My favorite type of mas is traditional mas just because we see all these characters with a different twist each time. Sure you’ll see Midnight Robbers and Dame Lorrianes but each group will present themselves differently. Their clothes could include gold accents, intricate colorful patterns, or even a mixture of two traditional characters. Hand-made costumes are my favorite because you can see the personal touches and the vision of the artist. Maybe I appreciate them because my great-grandfather was a mas-man. He would create and perform in king Carnival costumes (see above). The act of creating costumes was passed down to my grandfather who even made one of my mom’s kiddie’s cowboy carnival costume by hand. Personally, I haven't made any costumes or clothes– yet. It’s always nice to see what creative decisions individuals may make. You never truly know how grand their vision is until you see your work and it's so beautiful to see at competitions and on the road.

My love for carnival stems from childhood really. I remember what it was like to be a child and feel the music move through me for the first time and to see the huge trucks. To feel the energy surging through the people. There was so much joy to go around and every color imaginable at every turn. I was eight and I had never experienced music in that capacity with that many people. It was so fast-paced and made me want to jump. I believe that was when I fell in love with bass and huge speakers as well as crowds. Something about the atmosphere feels uniquely welcoming and joyful. I have yet to feel anything akin to that.  

When my mom says Carnival is about freedom of expression and art, she's referencing the coming together of trinis to dance and be creative. To create renditions of traditional costumes each year, to indulge in joy. The freedom to wake up early for jouvert and get doused in mud and oil and sometimes paint, then go on and dance some more with your band for carnival Monday. The freedom to wear what you want and adorn yourself in glitter and bold colors. At its core Carnival is about freedom of expression. Carnival from the beginning has always been about finding joy in community. It's about the resilience of Trinis who refused to allow their joy to be taken from them.