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Culture and Heritage
Trinidad and Tobago, is a multiracial, multicultural society.
Take a look at some of our major festivals.
Corpus Christi
The Feast of the Body of Christ
Corpus Christi is a long-standing tradition in our islands, going back to our pre-British occupation by the Catholic Spaniards. Though mainly observed by Roman Catholics, it is a designated public holiday. This special feast day is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in commemoration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist. The impressive processions that take place (the biggest is in front of the Cathedral on Independence Square in Port of Spain) give you just a glimpse into the sacredness and significance of the occasion.
Easter
While Easter is recognized as a religious holiday worldwide, it is traditionally marked in Trinidad and Tobago with two public holidays - Good Friday and Easter Monday.
The faithful attend church services, visit relatives and share large family meals. An Easter meal is elaborate - usually baked ham or roast chicken with all the trimmings.
If you're lucky, you may also see the traditional beating of the Good Friday Bobolee, an effigy symbolic of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ. As in most other parts of the world, chocolate eggs, bunnies and chicks make their appearance in stores and Easter egg hunts are quite popular.
Divali
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| East Indians brought the Hindu festival of Divali to our shores before the turn of the 20th Century, originating from the Sanskrit word Deepavali meaning “row of lights.” This Festival of Lights is usually held during the month of October or November. It is celebrated over a five-day period, twenty days after Dussera (the day when Ravana was executed by Rama), with Lakshmi puja, on the dark night of the new moon. Hindus prepare their homes with massive cleaning and decorating undertakings, the purpose being to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. Followers believe that on this day, Mother Lakshmi emerged from the Ocean of Milk called the Ksheer Sagar to endow mankind with wealth and prosperity. |
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At sunset, small clay crucibles, called deyas, filled with oil and containing cotton wicks, are lit to around the home and yard to signify goodness over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Families hold huge feasts of vegetarian food and various meethai (sweets).
Phagwa (Holi)
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The observance of Phagwa, or Holi as we also call it, was introduced to Trinidad by indentured East Indian labourers around 1845. Often called the Festival of Colours, Phagwa is a two-day, Hindu, spring festival. It usually falls on the full moon of March or the Hindu month of Phalguana. The root of Holi is derived from the Sanskrit word Holika, meaning, "parched grains." This festival has deep religious significance as a rite of purification to promote good health.
On the first day a bonfire is lit representing the burning of Prahlad’s evil aunt Holika. The second day signifies the arrival of spring and is reflected in the use of coloured dyes, called abeer. There is unrestrained revelry as abeer is sprayed on anyone who participates in the celebration. Other aspects of the festival include lots of joyful singing and dancing. You can hear special folk songs called Chowtal being sung, accompanied by two instruments - the Dholak, a small hand drum and Majeera, percussive instruments. |
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Eid ul Fitr
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Eid-ul-Fitr, or Eid, for short, is another of our East Indian-based religious holidays - this one, however, is Muslim in origin. It is the holiday that follows the holy fasting month of Ramadan, celebrated by devout Muslims the world over. The Islamic year is based upon a 13-month lunar calendar. Ramadan starts on the first day of the tenth month, Shawwal, heralded by the sighting of the new Moon. Local observations of this holy occasion are much the same as in other parts of the world. Prayers are said five times a day, and it is a strict period of fasting. Dedicated Muslims do not allow themselves food or water between sunrise and sunset during this sacred time, which lasts for about 28 to 30 days until the new Moon is once again seen.
Eid is marked by visits to local mosques, offerings of charity to the less fortunate and of course the gathering of friends and family to share meals. |
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Hosay
Hosay is celebrated by a very small Shi’ite Muslim population. It is also called the festival of Muharram and spans over three days. It signifies the martyrdom of Husayn, a grandson of Muhammad and is actually a period of mourning and grief in other countries. In Trinidad, anyone can participate in this colourful parade, held on the third day or Big Hosay Night. The highlight of the festival is the procession of intricately designed and decorated tadjahs. This is accompanied by Tassa drumming, gastronomic delights and merriment, ciulminating with the tadjahs being discarded by floating them out to sea.
The largest observance of Hosay is held in St. James, with smaller processions taking place in Curepe, Tunapuna, Couva and Cedros.
Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
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There are many places that boast of having spectacular Carnival celebrations - from Rio and New Orleans to Notting Hill. But nothing compares to the excitement, the fun, the drama and the veritable art of 'making mas' in Trinidad and Tobago. |
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The two days of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago are not official public holidays - but they might as well be - almost everyone is out on the streets, dancing, 'jumping up', 'wining down' and basically having a ball.
Although Carnival, in the strictest sense, really comprises the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday, the celebrations begin right after Christmas — because nothing about Carnival is strict. Almost as soon as the holy observation of Christmas Day is over, radio stations begin to blast the newest hits of the upcoming season - the season of the flesh. As a matter of fact, this is where the term Carnival actually came from - the Latin Carne Vale or 'farewell to the flesh'
Believe it or not, these heated celebrations were actually religious in origin - revelers were allowed to enjoy themselves one last time before facing the stringent deprivation of the Lenten season. This was how the 'bacchanal' started - in homage to the god Bacchus, Lord of Wine and Revelry.
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In its early days, what is now a national festival was really a wild frenzy reserved for the masses - the upper classes chose not to participate, but rather to watch. These were the days where creativity sparkled, giving rise to many of our traditional Carnival characters such as the Dame Lorraine (a well-endowed woman), the Jab Jab (a devil-like creation that would threaten you jovially with horns and three-pronged fork), the Pierrot Grenade (like a Greek chorus, commenting on topical issues in rhyme) and the Midnight Robber, all of which are still popular portrayals to this day. |
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Modern-day Carnival celebrations are a lot more inclusive - beginning with J'ouvert, (taken from the French Jour Ouvert, literally meaning Open Day), heralding the start of the revelry.
There are all types of music and all types of ways to "play mas". From traditional calypso and ex-tempo (songs made up on the spur of the moment) to popular soca beats, the rhythm of Carnival is pulsating and sweet, gently supporting you as you "chip" (dance) down the road on Carnival day.
Many popular soca bands also integrate the styles of Jamaican reggae, dancehall and dub into their compositions, and sampling of pop and hip hop hits has also been on the rise in order to bring the groove into the modern era. Even the Latin vibes find a place here and everyone feels at home!
As for actually participating or "playing mas", you can book a costume in any one of a number of bands. There are the pared-down bands like Burrokeets where looking pretty is not the objective - having fun is; the "party" bands like Young Harts, Poison, Barbarossa and Legends, which attract both the fun-lovers and the hard bodies; the "play yuh mas" bands that focus on the art of costume-making, such as Kallicharan's and Wayne Berekley, and bands like Minshall and his Callaloo Company, where both the fun and the theatrical elements of Carnival combine to make your experience one-of-a-kind - truly the greatest show on earth!
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Carnival dates for upcoming years: |
| 2009 |
23rd & 24th February |
| 2010 |
15th & 16th February |
| 2011 |
7th & 8th March |
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Tobago Fest
The beautiful island of Tobago celebrates a mini-Carnival called Tobago Fest in September.
While Trinidad's 'Greatest Show on Earth' takes place religiously every year on the Monday and Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday, 'Tobago Fest' offers masqueraders the opportunity to enjoy the revelry at another time of the year - with a distinctly Tobagonian flavor.
Popular masquerade bands from Trinidad travel across to the sister-isle to participate in both the main event as well as the host of other activities on the agenda - including ‘night mas’, a queen and talent show, steelband competitions, calypso shows and street parties.
The ‘Tobago Fest’ celebrations borrow strongly from the traditional celebration of Carnival - it is not uncommon to see some of these charming attractions:
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Speech Bands (roving, singing bands that carry greetings, news of the day or jokes from house to house, in local dialect mixed with exaggerated Scottish or English accents)
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Tobago Bands (masquerade bands dressed in gaudy, extravagant regalia depicting royalty and genteel folk)
These quaint and quirky elements have long been an integral, fun part of our cultural landscape - and have now become popular features at this mid-September celebration of life!
Tobago Heritage Festival
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The Tobago Heritage Festival which was first staged in 1987 is now a major event on the national calendar, specially for the island of Tobago. The festival, spanning a two-week period from mid July to early August, is an annual celebration of the heritage of Tobago - dance, song, music and cuisine.
Participants can look forward to an exciting extravaganza that not only expresses the soul of its people, but also intrigues and fascinates the thousands who witness the spectacle. The productions are staged in the very quaint and picturesque villages of Tobago, which lends a certain measure of authenticity and also allows visitors an opportunity to explore the island as they move from one venue to another. Many events are held at night under the canopy of star-lit skies and balmy moonlit nights, to the delight and enchantment of guests.
The gala opening sets the tone for the entire festival. Events such as the Ole Time Tobago Wedding, the Goat and Crab Races at Buccoo along with the Belmanna Riots and Salaka Feast all feature significantly on the festival calendar.
Throughout the entire Heritage period, visitors and residents are able to visit the many quaint and friendly communities that dot this island paradise as they explore the various aspects of its past, savor the traditional culinary delights and thrill to the pulsating rhythms and dances and the varied oral traditions. |
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