“Carnival” grows from the restricted traditions of the French masquerade balls in Trinidad. In (1838), slavery was abolished and the freedom of the Trinidadians ruled the island and participation in the Carnival opened in full swing. Having heard of this annual event that takes place on the Monday and Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday (and celebrated in the United States in New Orleans, as Mardi Gras), I had the pleasure of attending and experiencing its many events. It must be noted that though “Carnival” is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and that the Monday and Tuesday before Carnival are celebrated as national holidays in Trinidad (the banks, post offices, and other governmental offices are closed), there are events at least a month before that all lead up the the weekend before as well.
For Carnival, there are bands and music in the streets, final selections for the best bands, the best ‘mas’ (masks or costumes), etcetera, and the final competitors are selected well before the weekend’s activities get underway. There are events throughout that weekend that are in/directly associated with the two day celebration, and lead up to crownings for the winners, some of which occur as early as Friday of Carnival weekend. The steel bands march through the streets with throngs of revelers following their music-spewing vehicles, and on Tuesday, elaborate costumes are adorned by those so inclined. Carnival in Trinidad this year was in March, and the average day-time high temperature was 87 degrees, with an overnight low of about 70 degrees. Needless to say, costumes were rather scant.
Now it is my understanding that one of the attitudinal highlights of visiting some of the Caribbean islands is the sense of pride that is exuded from these former slaves. There is a sense of Self-Esteem that is generally expressed in the walk, the stature, etcetera. This was first displayed to me during my freshman year at Lincoln University when interacting with the continental Africans and Caribbean students. There was a ‘haughtiness’, if you will, that was loud and clear in their dealings with the ‘African-American/Black’ students who were also in attendance at Lincoln. And mind you, this was a general observation. It was always an interesting attitude to me since many of the islands are economically poor, so the attitude seemed misplaced to me since they were coming to the United States (where I am a ‘native’, born and reared) to get an education. I dismissed the attitude, because often I have been told that I have the same type of attitude, and have been called many of the associated derogatory adjectives, including: ‘smart n♦gg♠’, ‘boozhie’, ‘uppity’, etcetera. To which I have responded that ‘Self-Confidence seems like all of those negatives, but my mother told me different’, (so there!!).
Yet at some point Self-Pride and Self-Confidence affects other factors that cannot be ‘hidden’; so back to Carnival and the costumes that were worn. For two days, I had the displeasure of seeing scant costumes on bodies for which such an absence of material was not designed, though purchased. At first I thought it was the ‘puritanical’ foundations of my upbringing – many on the East Coast have not escaped the Quaker principles that lie underneath significant portions of that world view – but I had the opportunity to speak with several ladies in Trinidad who confirmed that ‘no shame in One’s game, is in fact, the name of the game’. Pride, in this case, outweighed ‘responsible fashion sense’, and many manner of visual atrocity was revealed under the guise of Carnival revelry. During these conversations with the more chaste-oriented ladies of Trinidad, they expressed the importance wearing clothing that flattered, rather than wailed. It reinforced the concept that ‘production, availability, and affordability’ does not directly translate to “wearability”. It was so refreshing to move through an environment where Self-Esteem and Self-Pride is the daily mantle, for the men and women, but I also embraced the aesthetic that a balance needs to ensure that public display does not devolve into ‘Pride and Shame’.
