Pictures and videos taken of everyday life around my island :)
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What is Emancipation Day? August 1st is Emancipation Day in Trinidad and Tobago, a public holiday. Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in…
Photo: Sookdeo BaneyMarch 30 is Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day in Trinidad & Tobago. From Wikipedia: Spiritual/Shouter Baptist Liberation Day is an annual public holiday celebrated in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on March 30. The holiday commemorates the repeal on March 30, 1951 of…
After the frenzied crescendo of Carnival Tuesday all merriment and debauchery ends (or is supposed to end) with the ushering in of Ash Wednesday and the start of the Roman Catholic observance of Lent. My father tells me that ‘back in the day’ all sound…
I was talking to a Brazilian friend a few years ago and she was surprised at some of the differences between our Carnival and theirs. You see it was a few weeks prior when she decided to look and see what costume/band she should…
J’ouvert (joo-VAY) is the start to the Carnival celebrations. It begins in the pre-dawn hours of Carnival Monday and lasts until daybreak. J’ouvert (which is a Creole corruption of the French Jour Ouvert – day opening) is also known as ‘dirty mas’. It seems…
Dimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition) and prize money and a vehicle bestowed. Also the King and Queen of the bands are crowned, where each band to parade costumes for the next…
If you are getting the sense that Carnival is one big long party you are right! So it only makes sense that one big long party would be made of many many big long parties as well. These parties in Trinidad are called fetes and…
It seems that every time a North American program wants to denote the ‘tropics’ you will hear the sound of a steelpan. It doesn’t even to seem to matter if the ‘tropics’ are in the Caribbean on a cruise ship or in Hawaii! If you…
It is hard to imagine Carnival without music. And the definitive music of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is soca. So what is Soca Music? Well, why not let Soca Superstar Machel Montano say it in his own words? From Caribbean Music 101 (the original link…
With only a few days before ‘High Mas’ it is time again to shine a spotlight on Trinidad & Tobago’s largest cultural festival, Carnival. Where did the word “carnival” come from? Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in…
Caption: President of the Santa Rosa Carib Community, Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez singes a banana leaf over a fireside, as he prepares to make pastelles at the Carib Community Centre in Arima yesterday. The community prepares dozens of pastelles annually for sale. PHOTO BY AZLAN MOHAMMED This…
Malta Carib has been a staple in my home since I was a child. Growing up I felt like quite a ‘big woman’ drinking it from the bottle (I had no idea it was non-alcoholic 😆 ). During the 80’s it was promoted not just…
As previously mentioned, Malta Carib was actually posited as an integral ‘educational aid’ 😉 I don’t know if it ever helped me in my exams, but I certainly loved (and still love) the taste. Yum! Please visit my earlier post for more information on Malta…
(image: Stand at Port of Spain Market) Transcription: The marketplace is the best source of local gossip, news and camaraderie. Also available is a magnificent display of the fruits and vegetables which add flavor and distinction to the Caribbean table. Fresh greens, creamy ripe avocados,…
Carib Brewery, Eastern Main Road, Champs Fleurs Ask any Trinidadian to complete the following phrase. A beer is a … and you’ll instantly hear a loud uproarious ‘Carib’. For over 50 years the Carib Brewery has been producing Carib beer to the delight of Trinis…
Call it nostalgia but it’s hard to convince me that the local commercials of the 80’s and 90’s didn’t have a certain ‘something’ that the current set lacks. There was something very magnetic about the hooks and taglines back then. Lion’s Baking Powder had a…