I have officially made it through my first Carnival and while I may not have slept for 4 days (only naps) it was well worth it considering the fun that was had by all! I cannot really even begin to explain the craziness that is Carnival here in Dominica but I will try my best.
Carnival is a huge party that takes place mainly in the streets of Roseau that is celebrated for a month with the big party days on Carnival Monday and Tuesday and the weekend before. It all started with the opening parade in Roseau and then the opening parade in Portsmouth the following weekend. Both parades are full of music, dancing, costumes, flags and much more. Most people watch the parade go by just like we do in the States, however the last group is always a popular band here on the island (WCK band) and most people get behind the band at the end of the parade and walk/dance their way along the parade route jumping up to the music. Of course I participated in both these parades and jump ups crazy crowds and crazy fun!
Between the opening parade and Carnival Tuesday are various events that include the Calypso Quarter and Semi finals, various Queen shows throughout the island, concerts almost every night, and lots of other fun events. CALLS even had their own Queen show and we crowned the first ever Miss CALLS! It was really entertaining and great to spend time with the students outside of class. One of my students even made an appearance cross dressing, a normal practice here for men at Carnival time, and the sad thing was.. he actually looked better than most women in the bathing suit he was wearing! I told you its crazy here around Carnival!
The weekend before Carnival Tuesday kicks off the big events starting with the island wide Queen Show were Miss Dominica is crowned. I didnt go to this event I can only take so many Queen shows (they are your typical beauty pageant, and not really my thing). Never-the-less the women here in Dominica love this event and it is very popular, and I do have to say some of the costumes that the women make are pretty cool. The next night is the Calypso finals where the Calypso King or Monarch is crowned! Now let me tell you a bit about what Calypso is Calypso is a type of music that is very popular here in the Caribbean. Each singer makes up a song about a popular subject or political statement, it can be funny or serious but they all make a strong statement about current events here in Dominica. Most contestants wear a costume and put on a show for the crowd (we even had fireworks this year) the better the show and song, the better your chance of winning. The nig twist this year a women won for the first time ever! How crazy is that! So people were not happy considering its the Calypso King but her song was by far the best and she deserved to win Im not bias or anything! :)
Then its finally time for Carnival proper! And what better way to start it off then a J'Ouvert (Jump Up in the streets of Roseau) at 3:00 am! Yep that is right we got up at 2:00 am got into our costumes and danced the morning away behind WCK! 3:00 to 10:00 am! There were all kinds of costumes there, cross dressing men and scantily clad women, a whole group of women dressed as Annie (red fro wigs and all) and I even saw an Avatar! We played it safe and a little more modest with our costumes black and white with neon accents! Very fun and the best event in my humble opinion!
After the J'Ouvert its home for a nap before returning for the T-Shirt bands! Same basic concept bands drive around the city streets with people jumping up behind them. The point of T-shirt band is to buy the shirt our your favorite band and follow behind them. WCK had thousands of followers! This is by far the most crazy event lots of fights and way too many people! After a fight almost pushed us into a chicken grill on the side of the road we had to retreat to Rashawnas parents hotel room for a while till it calmed down a bit.
Tuesday is the official day of Carnival and is celebrated with an all day costume parade. Groups of people come together and wear the same costumes and parade around the city with, you guessed it bands! The contestants from the Queens Show come out and show off their costumes, there were steel drum groups, flags and much more! It is a very exciting atmosphere and feels very Caribbean and Carnival like! After the parade is the final lap the last jump up before Lent begins. I left Roseau for this event and went to Portsmouths last lap. They had a band from Antigua and a lot of my friends were up there so it was a good time, until the band ran over someones foot and they had to shut down of a while. But by that point I was so tired I went home and slept pretty much slept all day Wednesday too. Now before you go thinking I am a terrible volunteer let me assure you that everything and I do mean everything shuts down here for Carnival so there was no work to be done so I am in the clear!
So there you have it I made it through and I am so glad I have another year to recover before I experience another Carnival! You are pretty much gonna have to check out the photos to understand the craziness of what I was talking about, cause you know what they say a picture is worth a thousand words and this entry has too many already.
