carnival

Haitians consider Carnival the onset of one of the most sacred periods of the year. It precedes Mardi Gras, celebrated on the last day of the festival, which leads into Lent, a period of fasting and atonement.

Mardi Gras is also called Fat Tuesday, symbolized by consuming all forms of fat. Succeeding Mardi Gras is Ash Wednesday, which initiates the Lenten season in the Roman Catholic Church. Fasting and avoidance of meat characterize Lent. Carnival, in this light, can be looked upon as the final chance to feast, drink, and dance with abandon.

Carnival in Haiti can be likened to Christmas in the U.S. and Northern European countries. The Yuletide season encourages celebrations of music, food, and traditional entertainment events. Carnival is not only a coming together of many cultures; it is also an engine of economic wealth for Haiti, whose sources of revenue are limited.

Read more →  

Haiti's Carnival has a dark side when it comes to music played during its annual celebration . At the festival, revelers respond to messages contained within song lyrics, and what they suggest sometimes makes the government of Haiti (GOH) uneasy. Some songs encourage festival celebrants to act out their resentment at the GOH.

During Carnival '97, the monster hit of music group Koudjay, "Si Yo Vle", urged Haitians to hang amoral politicians then in power. In response, many symbolic hangmen's nooses whirled above the crowd. Although the GOH refrained from commenting on the song, they responded with a direct show of force. Forty SWAT officers were deployed to brandish their semi-automatic rifles at the crowd with gestures that intended serious injury.

Read more →