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World News: Curaçao’s two-month Carnival bash
It was hard to tell at first
glance if the porta-potty
mounted on the back of a
pickup truck was a barebones
Carnival float or a
last-minute addition to the
outdoor facilities that had
ended up in the wrong place
at the wrong time somewhere
along the massive parade
route.
It wasn’t until a reporter
spotted costumed celebrants
jumping on the truck’s tailgate
and shutting the door of
the porta-potty behind them
that it became clear: Curaçao
is an island where no detail
is overlooked in the chaos of
Carnival.
After all, when parade participants
have to dance nonstop
for miles in stifling costumes,
waving with one hand
and keeping elaborate hats in
check with the other, it’s no
wonder they need a little time
to themselves — even if it is
in the questionable privacy of
a travelling toilet.
The circus-like Carnival
— an eight-week frenzy of
music, dance and merriment
that overtakes Curaçao from
early January until Feb. 28
— seems like an odd fit on
this Dutch island about 55
kilometres off the coast of
Venezuela.
But the roots of the festival,
and its distinctive tumba
music, go back to the mid-
1600s, when millions of
Africans were shipped
through this former slave
port. Strangely, it wasn’t
until about four decades ago
that the real Carnival festivities
began with grand parades
and parties. And
there’s been no let-up since.
“The minute this year’s
Carnival is over, people will
start working on next year’s,”
says life-long Curaçao resident
Chernov Rozier.
“People spend hundreds
of dollars to have their costumes
made from imported
fabric — the bands can
spend $5,000 or more just
to participate in Carnival. It
is the event of the year in
Curaçao.”
In fact, a number of islands
in the Caribbean feature
colourful Carnival festivities
that are a big draw
for islanders and visiting
tourists. Throughout this
month and last, Carnival
celebrations started in
Aruba, Turks & Caicos,
Trinidad, Dominica, Martinique
and Guadeloupe, to
name just some.
Carnival is traditionally
held in the days leading up
to Lent and the explanations
of its origins are as varied as
its striking costumes: some
believe the partying started
as a Catholic rite and a way
of using up food such as
meat and eggs before the
Lenten fasting.
Others believe the processions
are meant to scare
away evil spirits.
Regardless of its history, a
few things are critical —
colourful costumes, as well
as a sense of both rhythm
and fun. But nothing is as
key to Carnival’s success, on
the island of Curaçao at
least, as the music that fills
its busy streets.
Tumba — with its Afro-
Caribbean rhythms — is
thought to have evolved
from tambu, the music used
by slaves to express their
sorrow and hardship until
it was prohibited by colonial
authorities. Tambu
eventually evolved into
tumba, which has been the
soundtrack for Carnival
here since 1969.
“I always make sure I have
earplugs for the kids,” says
one local resident, dancing
with her nine- and 11-yearold
daughters on the
makeshift grandstands that
line the main parade route
through Otrobanda, literally
known as the “other side” of
Willemstad because it’s across
St. Anna Bay from the capital
city’s colourful downtown
shopping district. “Some of
the bands play so loud, you
get a pain in your chest.”
The eight weeks of Carnival
start in early January,
when revellers pull last
year’s ornate costumes out
of storage and hit the streets
for weekend street dances,
festivals and parties —
called “jump-ups.” But as the
weeks progress, and Carnival
kings and queens are
chosen for the adult and
child parades, the island’s
capital of Willemstad becomes
party central.
For more information on
Curaçao and Carnival 2006,
see www.curacao.com. For
details on events on other
Caribbean islands, see
www.onecaribbean.com or
www.doitcaribbean.com.
TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
Posted on Monday, February 20 @ 00:00:00 UTC by jcohen
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