The Carnival Programme

 

Various Aspects of Carnival

The Carnival Programme

Election of the Queen of Carnival

Mock Wedding Monday

Ash Wednesday

 

On the first Sunday after Epiphany, various groups, all dressed-up, parade in the streets.

Carnival continues over many days:

Shrove Sunday, the different groups and floats take to the streets for the traditional meeting.

Some examples of Carnival characters:

  • Caroline, a mannequin made of canvas or straw accompanied by a man. The mannequin represents a woman but is so cleverly arranged that it seems as if the woman were carrying the man, in a funny reversal of roles.
  • Négre gros sirop wears nothing but a loincloth and his face remains covered with an atrocious mixture of black ash and syrup.

 

  • Marianne la peau figue or l'Ours who wears a costume made of dry banana-leaves

 

  • Mokos zombies, a zombie dressed in many colours and dancing on stilts.

 

 

  • Shrove Monday is the day of mock weddings where couples cross-dress, the man wearing a wedding dress and the woman playing the role of the bridegroom.

  • Shrove Tuesday is the Red Devil Feast. Everybody dresses in red. The big parade in the south of the island takes place on this particular day. The townships take it in turn to host the festival that attracts several thousands of people from all over the island.

 

 

Carnival ends on Ash Wednesday with the Devil Parade and the Burning of Vaval, the icon of the Carnival. Everybody is dressed in black and white and mourns the death of the King of Carnival.