Our Favorite Event of the Year in St. Thomas, USVI is Carnival!

"Everybody love the Carnival, No don't stop de Carnival, Do as you like, but leave my Carnival, All West Indians love their Carnival, Everybody bound to have their fun, No rain at all can stop de Carnival, Not even hurricanes can stop de Carnival because all de Creole de love their Carnival." (Don't Stop the Carnival by Duke of Iron. Calypso theme song for Carnival 1952.)

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Carnival in St. Thomas is the biggest celebrated local holiday of all! Interestingly enough, it seems to be more celebrated than Christmas, New Year's or any other holiday. Held the last week of April through the first weekend in May,  it’s the local event of the year when Virgin Islanders are anxious to display their creativity and talents. We like to attend their calypso competitions, cultural nights, pageantry, steel bands, carnival village and of course the parades! Everyone dances in the streets! The parades last two days beginning with the children's parade on Friday and the adult's parade on Saturday. The event ends into a grand fireworks display at the close of Carnival. What a weekend!

So far, year's Carnival is the best we've ever seen. No, it's not as big as the carnival in Rio de Janeiro; but the dancing in the streets will last for hours! The theme this year was "Let Our Cultural Spirit Enliven Carnival 2011", tipping it's hat to the long cultural history of carnival in the islands. This year's costumes and floats are more elaborate than ever before. It truly an amazing event!
 
Even USVI Governor John de Jongh along with Senators and other government officials will be spotted dancing in front of the bandstands! Great community involvement! You just haven't lived until you've seen the Rising Stars All-Star Steel Band double-decker wagon go down the street hopping and jumping to the rhythm of over 100 steel pans.

The carnival tradition in St. Thomas began in 1912, however it would be 38 years before the festival would become an annual event. In 1952 Ron de Lugo revived Carnival in St. Thomas and the island been celebrating every year since. St. Thomas hosts the second largest Carnival cultural celebration in the Caribbean.

What is carnival? It’s the blending together of many European cultures, as well as African dance and music. Important to the celebration of the Caribbean carnival is the African traditions of parading in costumes and masks and moving in circles through villages in order to bring good fortune, heal problems and calm angry spirits. Carnival is an important way for the people of the Caribbean to express their rich African cultural traditions by creating elaborate masks and costumes. It takes months and a lot of energy and creativity to come up with a concept and develop costumes for the dancers to depict a common theme.

Every carnival hosts a load of food and we are proud to say we literally "ate our way through" the food fair this week. Traditional favorites such as stewed and barbecue chicken, conch and whelks are paired with side dishes running from creamy macaroni and cheese to seasoned peas and rice. The vendors offered savory curries with handmade rotis, pates, steaming hot bowls of ital fare and delicious sweet treats.

If you would like to learn more about Carnival in St. Thomas, go to www.vicarnival.com.

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