| Jamaica Carnival | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Jamaica |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | Celebration a week afterEaster[1] |
| Celebrations | Costumes, bands, parades, music, dancing and parties |
| Date | March / April; Carnival Sunday (Road March)[1] |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Caribbean Carnival,Mardi Gras,Carnival,Shrove Monday,Easter,Lent,Byron Lee and the Dragonaires |
Jamaica Carnival, also referred to asBacchanal Jamaica (also the names of Jamaica's longstanding bands),[2] is an annualCaribbean Carnival event held mainly inKingston, Jamaica, a week afterEaster (usually duringMarch orApril).[1]The festival is marked by week-long celebrations, fetes and entertainment events, which are a prelude to the officialMas orRoad March finale on CarnivalSunday.[1][3] TheRoad March is known for its parades of local and international revellers in vibrant costumes, bands, carnival trucks, live performances, dancing and other festivities.[1][3] Other smaller road marches and carnival events take place inOcho Rios,Montego Bay andNegril.[2]The event is traditionally associated withcalypso music andsoca music,[1] however it has since evolved into a unique fusion ofdancehall,reggae and soca revelry.[4][5]
The origin ofCaribbeancarnivals can be traced back to French and Spanishcolonialists, who introduced the earlyItalian Catholic tradition ofShrovetide celebrations to theAmericas.[1][6] In particular, by the late 18th century, French settlers brought carnival to Caribbean islands includingHaiti,Martinique,St Lucia,Trinidad et al., as a pre-LentenCatholic celebration, involving masquerades and balls.[3][6][7] Over time, slaves adapted elements of their cultures and indigenous cultures into these European celebrations, which became part of their tradition and evolved with dancing, costumes, songs and particular styles of music.[3]
Jamaica's history of Spanish and British colonialism, contributed colonial era, religious and post-emancipation celebrations, from which some of Jamaica's oldest parades, music and dance forms emerged.[8][9][10]These includequadrille andjonkunnu, a Christmastime festival— both of which also entail masquerades, characters, costumes, music and dancing that depict fusions and adaptations of elements from European and African cultures.[8][10] Other local Creole folk traditions includingmento (sometimes calledmento calypso orJamaican calypso), which bears similarities to otherGreater Antillean genres that also use therumba box, were often featured at cultural celebrations and festivals.[10][11]
With the opening of theUniversity of the West Indies, Mona, in the late 1940s, carnival culture from theEastern Caribbean spread to Jamaica.[7] This was due to the migration of Eastern Caribbean students, who recreated their celebrations on the university's campus, bringingsteel pan music and organizing costume bands— a tradition that became popular in the mid-1950s, which continues on the campus to date.[7]
In the early years, the Halls of Residence became the focus for carnival activities, with some halls having steel bands, and costume bands being key aspects of carnival for the halls.[7] Hall residents started creating individual or group costumes independently.[7] In the mid-1980s, a special hall committee decided the themes and sections for the halls’ bands, and organized the costume-making.[7]
Events includedCarnival Queen Show on Friday night,Ole Mas (masquerading) on Saturday morning, and the road march of costume bands on Saturday afternoon, in the Mona Heights and Ring Road vicinities.[7] By the 1980s and early 90s, the carnival expanded to more than a week, including events such asPoolside Lyme,Reggae/Calypso Show,Costume Show andFirs’ Lap, where the parading and judging took place.[7] This was followed by anOut-of-Town Lime, with the carnival ending onShrove Tuesday with aLas’ Lap finale.[7] Currently,UWI Carnival takes place around mid to late March, and includesIntegration fete,J’Ouvert, Ring Road andBeach Party.[7]
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