Carnival

St. James District

Port of Spain

Trinidad and Tobago (pop 1.4 million)

West Indies

February 13, 2018

Tuesday - Mardi Gras

My guest house called Heart of Carnival is a taxi ride to most of the important Carnival events.  (Unless you count hanging out with the party-goers at the local restaurants and pubs.)

Today, Heart of Carnival is the appropriate name.  Hundreds of marchers and the fleet of trucks with their cargo of enormous sound equipment pass just up the street in this otherwise quiet residential neighborhood.

Barrel-chested men and bikini-clad, feather-festooned, half naked women strut their stuff as they keep pace with the beat of the ever-present piercing music.  

Facial expressions run from “serious” to “smiling” to “happy” to “oh so happy.”  (What’s in those mugs that they carry with them?)

There’s a shop in the neighborhood called Featheration.  The sign announces: Feathers, Rhinestones, Diamante Applique, Beaded fringe and more.  The shop was closed at the time I walked by.  But based on what I see today, the shelves are surely empty.

Mardi Gras.  The Great Tuesday (before Ash Wednesday).  A time for unrestrained joy and celebration.

And a time for feathers.  Tons of feathers.