Category: Festivals — Trinidad

Bunji Garlin revs up the crowd. Photo by Aaron Richards

The best fetes for Trinidad Carnival & year round | Roundtable

Looking for the inside scoop on the best fetes during Trinidad Carnival, and all year ’round? Look no further. Our roundtable discussion with Nigel Cambpell, Laura Dowrich-Phillips, Penelope Spencer, Franka Philip, and Ardene Sirjoo has you covered!

Kaisokah moko jumbies. Photo by Jason Audain

Trinidad Carnival — the perfect itinerary | Roundtable

The depth and breadth of Trinidad’s Carnival activities can overwhelm anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the culture and the festivities. Our roundtable discussion with Maria Nunes, Nigel Campbell, Penelope Spencer, Franka Philip, and Ardene Sirjoo will help you develop your perfect itinerary

Obatala Festival. Photo by Maria Nunes

Trinidad’s most cherished festivals | Roundtable

In addition to helping our readers find the perfect Carnival itinerary, we talked to our roundtable — Nigel Campbell, Maria Nunes, Penelope Spencer, Franka Philip, Ardene Sirjoo, and Laura Dowrich-Phillips — to learn which of Trinidad’s festivals they recommend everyone experience NIGEL: Islamophobia is a new wave in Western countries, but in Trinidad, the Muslim

Divali in Felicity, Trinidad. Photo: Ariann Thompson

Divali: the festival of lights

Divali is one of the most beautiful, unifying, and anticipated holidays of the year, celebrated by the Hindu faithful — and the nation as a whole

Fireworks. Photo by Kazim Daniel

Independence Day

Trinidad & Tobago Independence Day in a nutshell Independence Day — a public holiday — marks the occasion on 31 August, 1962 when Trinidad & Tobago’s became independent from Great Britain. The day usually begins with a parade of the various protective services at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain and in Scarborough,

The flambeaux street procession is a hallmark of Emancipation celebrations. Photo by Maria Nunes

Emancipation Day

Celebrated on 1 August to commemorate the end of slavery in the British colonies (1838), Emancipation Day — a public holiday — is usually marked with street processions (a morning procession, including towering moko jumbies, and a flambeaux-lit Canboulay procession in the evening); religious and spiritual observances; cultural shows and performances (dance, music, and theatre,

Worship at a Muslim Mosque in Trinidad. Photo: Edison Boodoosingh

Eid-ul-Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr, often shortened locally to just “Eid” (and sometimes spelt Eid al-Fitr internationally), marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan — the ninth month of the Muslim year, according to the sighting of the new, or crescent, moon. On the day Eid is declared, observances customarily begins before sunrise, with prayer and the

Divali Nagar dancers. Photo by Chris Anderson

Indian Arrival Day

This national public holiday (30 May) commemorates the arrival of the first indentured labourers from India on the Fatel Rozack in 1845, following the Emancipation of enslaved Africans in 1838. Waves of indentured immigrants arrived at Nelson Island, off the coast of Chaguaramas, before being sent to various estates where the living conditions were often