I’ve been having so much fun this week with my students. It’s Carnival season which always has us busy with field trips to mas camps, carnival shows (for kids), and any historical displays we can find. Carnival is a national festival in Trinidad and Tobago that is celebrated annually on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is similar to that of Brazil but for us, aside from the mas, we have a lot of Calypso and Steel Pan competitions in the weeks leading up to Carnival.

So, in our schools, we have our own version of Carnival. My favorite aspect of it is the Old Mas portrayals. Each class has to do skits using signs and props – no words – to portray current events in a humorous way. Students also sing their own calypsos and party to loud soca music. Soca music originated out of Calypso but it is very fast paced and just gets you off your feet. They love it.

Here are some pictures I took out on one of our school trips. This was at a soca event for kids. The traditional Carnival characters were there to meet the children.

Moko Jumbies – they dance around on stilts.

A Soca performer takes to the stage as Moko Jumbies dance. The children are in awe. These ladies above are traditional Carnival characters. On the left is a Baby Doll and next to her is a Miss Mary.

These are the Fancy sailors and the Dame Lorraines

The very poetic Pierrot Grenades

There are many other traditional Carnival characters by the way, like the Bookman, Burrokeet, Fancy Clown, Fancy Indian, Guarahauhn, Jab-Jab, Midnight Robber, Jab Molassie, Minstrels, Bats, Seybucan, Soumayree, Stickman, Imp, and Dragon.

Oh gosh, I have so many pictures to share. These below are of a display at the airport in Trinidad. I could not resist posing with the mannequins.

I’m next to a Fancy Sailor costume.

A contrast of costumes on the left. A butterfly costume on the right.

Now for the best part… my little three year old, Ashley, had some Carnival fun at her school too. I had to take pictures! I wish I could have gotten pics of all the kids in their costumes for you. They had a street parade masquerading in their head pieces. These are what I got… It was all about head pieces (hats) and face masks with a nature theme.

These are for the flowers and butterflies band.

Fruits

Butterfly face masks

These are for the weather section. I think in all, the sections were nature, fruits, and weather. Awesome! Hats off to all of the hardworking teachers at Ashley’s school, Mt. St. George Early Childhood Centre!

So this is my Carnival 2014. You can click here to read about last year’s Carnival at my school and here for the year before.

Happy Carnival to you!