Haitian Carnival

Haitian Carnival

Haitian Carnival (Haitian Creole: Kanaval, French: Carnaval) is a joyful celebration that happens over several weeks each year, leading up to Mardi Gras. The main event, called Haitian Defile Kanaval, occurs in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. This special time is full of colorful parades, music, and dancing.

The big parade is called "Kye Marn" and is Haiti’s largest carnival. While the main celebration is in Port-au-Prince, smaller events also take place in cities like Jacmel and Aux Cayes. These carnivals happen at the same time as other Mardi Gras celebrations around the world.

Haiti has other smaller carnivals too. One is called Rara, which happens during the Catholic Lent season. It includes bands and parades, similar to the main carnival. There is also a yearly event called Carnaval des Fleurs, held on July 7.

Carnival

Port-au-Prince's annual carnival is a big Mardi Gras celebration in the Caribbean and North America. The carnival season starts in January with Pre-Kanaval. The main carnival happens in February and ends on Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. This is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which starts the Lenten season leading up to Easter.

People enjoy the carnival with music, bands, and parades. The parades have colorful floats, and children can join in the fun too. There are food stands with tasty treats, and people wear masks and costumes. Music is important, with bands playing types of music like zouk and rap kreyòl. The carnival is a special time for bands to perform for many people. Every year, tourists come to enjoy the lively celebrations.

History

The big public celebration of carnival in Haiti began in 1804 in Port-au-Prince.

Some people thought carnival celebrations were not right because they included dances and music.

After a big earthquake in 2010, carnival celebrations were smaller. In 2011, performers made funny costumes. In 2012, the carnival grew bigger again.

In 2015, the carnival had to stop early after an accident.

Creole carnival expressions

Haitian Creole has many fun expressions used during carnival time. These phrases help people enjoy the celebration, like "let go of yourself" or "put your hands in the air." Musicians from places like New York City often come back to Haiti to play music at the carnival.

Sometimes, young men have friendly contests called gagann during the festivities, with supporters watching around them.

Rara

Haiti has a special celebration called Rara that is different from its big Mardi Gras carnival. Rara happens during the day and sometimes at night during Lent, ending with a big week of fun during Holy Week, which includes Easter. Rara started in the countryside around Port-au-Prince and is based on old customs from rural areas.

During Rara, there are colorful parades with musicians playing drums, tin trumpets, bamboo horns called vaksens, and other instruments. The music is known as rara music. Dancers and costumed characters like Queens (rèn), Presidents, and Colonels join the parades, following a special order like bands in New Orleans Mardi Gras.

Carnaval des Fleurs

Michel Martelly organized a special carnival called Carnaval des Fleurs, or Flower Carnival, from July 29 to 31, 2012. This event had popular local konpa bands. People say this type of carnival happened before, but there had not been one like it since at least 1986. This was when Haiti started moving toward democracy.

Koudyay

Koudyay is a kind of spontaneous celebration in Haiti, much like a carnival. During a time when Haiti was ruled by Papa Doc Duvalier, the government organized these koudyay events. The idea was to give people a safe way to have fun and let off steam.

Kompa carnival bands

Carnival is a big event for musicians in Haiti. They perform for many people during the three days before Ash Wednesday. Many bands play different kinds of music. One popular style is called compas, which is spelled konpa in Haitian Creole.