TURNING UP in TRINIDAD
Trinidad and Tobago is well known for the festivities and “TURNING UP” that the people of the island partake in.
Compiled for you readers below is a list of seven spectacular celebrations that anyone can enjoy if they decide to visit this tropical paradise.
First up is the Blue Food Festival.
01) BLUE FOOD FESTIVAL
The Tobago Blue Food Festival is an annual event held by the Indigenous peoples in a remote village called the Bloody Bay. It is centered around highlighting an essential part of their cuisine, a staple called root dasheen.
They call the festival the Blue Food Festival because the dasheen when cooked actually turns the color blue. The festival started with the intention of promoting the consumption of dasheen and as of October 2020, it will be entering its 22nd year of celebrations.
02) Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival originated when the Kairi Film Festival took place for over three days in the Port of Spain in November of 2002. The first festival took place in 2006 and was extended to its current length in 2007 and expanded outside of the Port of Spain, and into Tobago.
The purpose of the festival is to:
Promote Caribbean films
Promoting the Caribbean film industry
Reaching out to the rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago
03) Tobago Jazz Experience
The Tobago Jazz Experience started up in 2009 and features prominent figures in the hip hop, pop, soca and jazz genres. It is usually held during the last week of April from thursday to Sunday. Some of the key venues include Speyside, Signal Hill, Scarborough, Castara and Pigeon Point. It has attracted various international artists over the years such as Neyo, Erykah Badu,Shakira, Maxwell, Sean Paul, Mary J Blige, Jill Scott, and Lauryn Hill.
04) Tobago Heritage Festival
The Tobago Heritage Festival is a major event for the island of Tobago. The festival lasts during a two week period from July-August and it is a yearly celebration of its namesake: HERITAGE! The dance, food, songs and overall culture is celebrated by all the Tobagonians. It is a pilgrimage to their ancestors and their wonderful culture.
It first began in 1987 and is considered the SIGNATURE event for all of Tobago, similar to the carnival for all of Trinidad.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
05) C A R N I V A L
This one here, is what Trinidad and Tobago is well known around the world for.
The Trinidad Carnival dates all the way back to the 18th century. West African enslaved peoples were being mimicked by their white masters during Christmas time and the West Africans decided to uphold their own traditions of “masking” and a lot of the celebrations focused around the burning and harvesting of sugarcane. After slaves were emancipated in 1838, the burning and harvesting of the sugarcane became a symbol of defiance to the slave owners. The British attempted to repress any of these freedoms by taking them away but after trying to battle for so long over the drumming and masquerading the Carnival had become a symbol of the unique Trinidadian culture.
It starts after Christmas Day and many rent costumes and pay in advance for any food that is available during the carnival.
Als-Pierre, Bernadette. THE TOBAGO BLUE FOOD FESTIVAL’S CONTRIBUTION TO INCREASED CONSUMPTION AND INCREASED NUTRITIONAL AWARENESS OF THE INDIGENOUS STAPLE DASHEEN.
Discover Trinidad & Tobago, et al. “Trinidad Carnival: the Birth & Evolution.” Discover Trinidad & Tobago, 30 Apr. 2018, www.discovertnt.com/articles/Trinidad/The-Birth-Evolution-of-Trinidad-Carnival/109/3/32.
Festival, Trinidad+Tobago Film. “Home.” Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival, 11 Aug. 2020, ttfilmfestival.com/.
User, Super. “History of Carnival and Its Elements.” History of Carnival, 2020, www.ncctt.org/new/index.php/carnival-history/history-of-carnival.html.
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