The biggest party of the year
Carnival is the archipelago's most important festival. It's the most unifying festival of the year, capable of getting the whole island moving!
From January1st onwards, "skinned groups" and regulars gather for a "ben démaré", a purifying swim in the sea or river. The festival lasts until Ash Wednesday. Days and nights follow one another in frenzy and joy!
Costumes rival each other in inventiveness. After Rio de Janeiro and Louisiana, the parades in Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre are said to be the most elaborate. The perpetual delay of the parades in relation to the announced schedule tends to diminish each year. But the spectacle is no less enchanting! In the specialized boutiques and garment workshops, work begins as soon as winter sets in. From the romantic to the most modern costume, from the sexy to the naïve... Costumes of strass and light that make each group shine for the duration of a parade.
The Guadeloupe carnival has several types of bands. The snare drum bands are veritable orchestras, with their trumpets, saxophones, drums and other instruments. They can be recognized by their elaborate, shimmering costumes and choreographed routines. The skin bands (or gwoup a po) have a more ancestral approach to carnival, or Mas (body transformation) as they call it. Their drums are covered in animal skins. Finally, the Ti Mas, often made up of youngsters wearing gorilla masks, are preceded by whips that crack loudly.
A time for letting off steam, Carnival remains the ultimate outlet for differences. During these weeks, blacks, whites, Indians, Békés and mestizos move about anonymously. And, as in the férias of southern France, the desire to be together is unleashed.
The three most important days of Carnival each have a dominant color, which is reflected in the costumes worn by the population. This meeting of masks and costumes takes place within the framework of a musical and rhythmic intrigue. Vaval, king of the festival, is the mythical figure. His effigy is burned at the end of the carnival to signal that the party's over. Of course, radio stations, TV channels and the Internet then take over, broadcasting a kind of anthem, usually a hit with explicit, roundabout lyrics, which beats all audience records. The Guadeloupe carnival is a year's wait, a quarter of preparation, but above all weeks of celebration and popular jubilation eagerly awaited by the entire population!
History of the carnival
Carnival in Guadeloupe has its roots in the archipelago's colonial past. When Catholic settlers arrived in the Antilles in the 17th century, they brought with them their own customs, including carnival festivities. Visiting each other's estates, they organized masked balls and receptions in the run-up to Lent. Slaves, on the other hand, are unable to take part in all these festivities. Article 16 of the Code Noir, promulgated by Louis XIV in 1685, prohibited them from all gatherings. So they organized their own festivities, but added their own touch. These included elements directly imported from their African culture, such as masks, songs, musical instruments (drums, ti-bois, cha-cha...) and even beliefs.
The masters then tolerated the organization of parades within the estates, which were useful for certain jobs, thanks to the driving power of rhythm. A real outlet for slaves who, for example, mocked their masters with songs or costumes. While the feast days ended on Mardi Gras for the masters, giving way to Lent, the slave carnival continued until Ash Wednesday.
During the 18th century, Carnival was subject to prohibitions. Before the abolition of slavery, slaves were forbidden to parade beyond their masters' property. It was only after the end of the slave system that freedmen were finally able to parade fully in the streets.
Symbols linked to history
Carnival is a time for Christians to have fun and enjoy themselves before the period of privation known as Lent. It begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts 40 days. Even today, West Indian carnival has symbolic elements strongly influenced by African culture and slavery: whips, masks, drums, musical instruments... You need to be familiar with the particular history of the West Indies and the slaves' struggle for freedom to understand the presence of these symbols.
Fatty days
While the festive period extends over several weeks, the most festive days are the "jours gras", from Sunday to Ash Wednesday.
Shrove Sunday is marked by a colorful masked parade with floats and bands. The cracking of whips is a direct reference to centuries of slavery. Shrove Monday is the day of inversion. Men dress up as women and vice versa. Burlesque weddings take place. In the evening, a big night parade is organized. But the biggest parade takes place on Mardi Gras in Basse-Terre, where numerous floats are paraded.
Finally, Ash Wednesday is the day of the big "déboulé". After months of preparation and weeks of festivities, this is the grand finale of the carnival. The groups parade in black and white to celebrate the end of the festivities. Vaval ends up burnt to a crisp. He'll rise from the ashes next year with a new face... At mid-Lent, "déboulés" are organized, with everyone dressed in red and black.
Vaval, the king of the carnival
If Christian carnival has a king of fools who is sacrificed before Lent, the West Indian carnival, with its multiple influences, also has an emblematic figure. There's a king who takes on the appearance of a mannequin parading through the city. This is Vaval, the king of carnival. Each year, a social, political or environmental theme is assigned to the new King Vaval. This mythical character takes part in several parades, before being burned in the public square. The "brilé Vaval" marks the end of Carnival. This cremation is highly symbolic: it is a purification of the soul before the start of the Lenten period, when restrictions will be the order of the day.
The bands, stars of the parades
The big parades are formed by numerous carnival groups. Guadeloupe now boasts some 80 such groups, which can be divided into different categories.
Some groups use modern instruments. There are, for example, snare drum groups, where dancers and musicians parade on foot, all in a mix of colors and sublime costumes. Brass instruments set the rhythm for the parade. Synthesizer bands feature synthesizers, bass guitars and speakers mounted on a van. The dancers' choreography is on point. This type of band was widespread until the 1970s, when foot parades took on greater importance.
Today, traditional groups are increasingly present in parades. Skin bands" are made up of musicians who play traditional instruments such as drums covered in goatskin or lambi conches. Young carnival-goers at the front of the groups crack whips in remembrance of slavery. The Akiyo group is a benchmark in this respect.
Introduced in the 2000s, the "Ti Mas" groups attract mostly young people. Members wear gorilla masks, while the musicians bang on drums and snare drums. The best-known of these groups is Mass Moul Massif, whose reputation is well established. These characters are often found on the roads at weekends during the day. They stop traffic, causing a few jams, and do a few dance steps in front of cars, which they let go in exchange for a coin.
Mas Vyféò is a group from the commune of Vieux-Fort. Formed in the early 20th century, they are unique in that they have always worn the same traditional costume: madras cloth, ribbons, wire-mesh masks and mirrors in the headdress. The group's musical style is equally original, featuring flute, accordion, triangle and cha-chas.
Carnival also brings together minority cultural communities in Guadeloupe, with groups from Haiti, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. There's even a Breton group, Bagad-Karukéra, which blends the sounds of the bagpipes and the Ka (traditional local drum).
Mythical characters
At the heart of the parade groups, you'll come across mythical characters who have become symbols of the parades. All these characters are inspired by European and African culture, and by the period of slavery.
Men and women dress up as the "Neg Marron". Dressed in loincloths, they are completely covered in molasses (battery syrup mixed with soot). They represent the negro maroons, the runaway slaves who deserted the plantations and lived independently in the forests, hiding from their masters.
The conch blowers blow into a lambi conch, which serves as a musical instrument. At the time, this instrument was used in the villages to announce a death or a natural disaster.
Other recognizable characters are the "malpwops", people dressed in very sexy outfits or little outfits for parades. They were originally present at burlesque weddings on Shrove Monday, before becoming more widespread. Suggestive outfits and attitudes are part of the West Indian carnival tradition: they embody the idea of letting off steam.
A popular festival
Carnival is the most eagerly awaited time of the year for Guadeloupeans. The festival has a strong popular dimension. The festivities are prepared months in advance. Songs and choreographies require hours of rehearsal, and costumes are prepared in workshops several months in advance.
Carnival is an event that brings families together: young and old alike are members of the groups. Spectators also flock to the parade sites with their families. At each parade, the streets are invaded by Guadeloupeans and visitors eager to vibrate to the rhythms of the groups and marvel at the mosaic of colors. The more accustomed set up along the route with their folding chairs and coolers. Many of them arrive early to get the best spot to admire the parade!
Every year, carnival is also an occasion for demands and denunciations. Many carnival-goers or spectators express their opinions on social issues (political, social, health, history) on placards or banners, not without a certain sense of humor, or in an offbeat tone!
The "Ben démarré", first steps of the festivities
Every January1, certain carnival groups get together to perform the traditional "ben démaré". This is a small parade before heading to the sea for a swim. It's a way of getting the year off to a good start by getting rid of all the bad things that happened during the previous year.
