Sure, you may be familiar with the big celebrations in Rio and New Orleans, even in Venice… but have you checked out the party in the Caribbean island nation of Martinique? It’s an epic celebration.
According to Madame Annette Koerten, French teacher at Shorewood High School and originally from Martinique, the party is nothing to scoff at.
“Really, the Carnival starts after the first weekend after Epiphany,” says Koerten.
You heard right, that’s usually the first weekend of JANUARY! That means we’re talking about 5 weeks of celebrations.
Koerten says, “Every weekend, until Mardi Gras, people will prepare for the carnival. You will hear, in Martinique, the drums.”
And it all culminates with the last few days before Ash Wednesday.
“Mardi means ‘Tuesday’ in French and Gras means ‘Fat’ so that’s the day that people eat a lot of fattening foods and celebrate because they know the next day we have to [start fasting] for 40 days. So all this will be not allowed. So, that’s the day that they really go all-in and eat and dance and get ready for the 40 days that they will do nothing,” explains Koerten.
The fasting and doing nothing, is all part of the austerity measures that many Christian based cultures participate in during Lent, the 40 days before Easter.
Now, for Martinique, it’s not just random people in these parades.
Koerten says, “We have a lot of typical characters that you will see in every single carnival, that represent the culture of the island.”
Everything from Queens, mini Queens, right down to the devil and his wife! There’s even a character called the Vaval, or the King of the carnival, typically a character that represents some current event or person of the moment. For example a politician or during COVID it was a doctor. It’s a huge puppet that at the end of carnival or on Ash Wednesday, it gets burned in effigy, representing the end of his reign over the festivities.
Community involvement in all aspects is important. Rather than taking a hands-off approach like in most parades, anyone enjoying the festivities along the route can join in as the spirit moves them!
“Its like a huge party in the city of Fort-de-France,” says Koerten.
So if you’re getting tired of the old samba, the beads, the alcohol and king cakes… celebrating carnival the Martinique way, might take a little preparation… and endurance… but it promises to be one HECK of a party.
Find out more about this fun celebration here.
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