Predominance of Catholicism
In Martinique, if the religious confessions are numerous, it is the catholic religion which predominates. It is a huge part of daily life, it plays a fundamental role in Martinican culture. There are about fifty parishes throughout the country and each village has its own church. Destroyed by fire and then rebuilt, the Saint-Louis Cathedral in Fort-de-France is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean, a true masterpiece of metal, destined to resist forever the whims of Mother Nature forever.
Sunday mass attracts large faithful crowds who take pleasure in meeting and singing liturgical songs in chorus. In addition to the pilgrimages and processions, each funeral brings together the whole community, and the funeral notices are announced daily after the news.
Religious holidays. All the Christian feasts are scrupulously celebrated, starting with All Saints' Day, when all the cemeteries are illuminated and candles are lit at home in memory of the deceased. Families come to the cemeteries to drink toasts in memory of the deceased, by pouring a small drop of rum on the ground to involve the dead.
In the same way, restriction linked to Lent is particularly respected. The people have a habit of meeting on Easter Sunday and Monday around the traditional dish, “matoutou” crab. This tradition originates from slavery: not very fond of the spicy crab that the Natives used to prepare, the colonists forced the slaves, who had been forcibly converted to Christianity, to eat a lot of shellfish during Lent, rather than fatty meats. On Easter Sunday, the slaves celebrated the “right” to eat beef and poultry again by gathering around a huge feast intended to finish the crab reserves. This is how “matoutou” crab became the traditional Easter dish in Martinique.
From mid-November, the whole island vibrates to the sound of the countless “chanté Nwel” that brighten up the streets and public squares at nightfall, these traditional religious songs that celebrate the birth of Christ.
A diversity of confessions
Although very practiced (more than 80% of the Martinican population is Catholic), Catholicism coexists in Martinique with other more confidential religions, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptist evangelists or Seventh Day Adventists (2nd religious community after the Catholics), who have their own places of worship (the Ephesus temple for example). The Indians have also preserved their rites, such as the sacrificial ceremony of Bon Dié Coolie, where for four days animal sacrifices and colorful ritual dances follow one another. Martinican countryside is home to Hindu temples, such as in Basse-Pointe, the cradle of the Tamil community that came between 1858 and 1885 to replace the slave labor force. The city is home to two Hindu temples that can be visited on Sundays.
The Jewish and Muslim religions are also represented. The Jews even have their synagogue in Schoelcher, and the Muslims have their mosque and their Koranic school in Fort-de-France. La Trinité, Saint-Joseph and Sainte-Marie are the high places of Martinique's mysticism where Hindu and voodoo cults, African and European beliefs are mixed and joined. The mixture is quite jarring and is closely involved in daily life, each gesture, each event or each ceremony having its share of spirituality. However, what counts is above all the religious fervor.
"Z’esprits", "quimboiseurs" and black magic
In Martinique, superstitions are legion. Essential to the Antillean civilization, they reflect the history and the diverse components of the population. Miracle, magic and other incantations are part of the strong beliefs, even if the Antilleans often pretend not to know anything about it.
The “quimboiseurs”. The local “quimboiseurs” or “gadé z'affaires” are very popular in Martinique. These sorcerers count fortunes by interpreting the lifelines on the palm of the hand, and prescribe all sorts of body baths, decoctions and amulets to ward off bad luck, ensure happiness and prosperity, bring back a loved one or even relieve panic attacks! The “quimbois” is none other than a “charm” or magic potion that was administered in the past by healers. This ancestral medicine, complete with Native Indian and African knowledge, has long been practiced on the houses and in the hills. Its transmission was ensured from generation to generation by the oldest person in the family, most often a woman, who acted as therapist.
To find the source of evil, the “quimboiseurs” often resort to communication with the “z'esprits”. The myth of the “zombis” and “dorlis”, the famous undead creatures who terrorize sensitive souls in B movies, is still very much alive in West Indian mythology. It refers to diabolical characters, the dead who wander around and who appear at night at the bend in the dimly lit roads and dense forests.
The magic plants of Creole gardens. Creole gardens, a small ecosystem typical of the West Indies, is the fruit of a tradition inherited from the Native Indians, Europeans and Africans. It is intended for the survival of the family that cultivates them, and it also shelters plants cultivated for mystical reasons, arranged in a precise order, according to their symbolism or their use. Some of them are supposed to bring protection, luck and happiness (garlic, banded wood, pigeon pea), others bring health and are associated with prayer, others ward off evil spirits (Indian reed, acacia, mugwort, parsley), and still others are said to help a soul pass on its way to death (fishtail fern). Creole gardens are making a strong comeback in Martinique and thus carries a very strong magic-religious aspect. It is no coincidence that it is the women, the guardians of traditions, particularly in Martinique's matrifocal society, who have exclusive responsibility for the garden.
The strong comenback of traditions
Faithful to its traditions, Martinique has strong intangible cultural heritage, which has been transmitted orally from generation to generation and to which the population is very attached. This is the case of the traditional costume, cockfights, and solidarity practices, not to mention, of course, the carnival.
The Martinique costume. Resulting from the encounter between Indian (the madras fabric) and European styles (the bodice and petticoats), the Martinique costume was for a long time the prerogative of the slaves. A luxury that was initially not accepted by the colonial administration. Made of shiny fabric, the large ceremonial suit consisted of a gathered bodice and a wide skirt pinched on the side to reveal the petticoat. Less and less worn, the traditional feminine costume has been progressively abandoned in favor of more contemporary outfits. Nevertheless, there a still a few silhouettes that are beautifully adorned with jewelry, headdress and madras petticoats on special occasions or for mass. Some old models can be seen in the regional museum of art and ethnography in Fort-de-France.
Cockfights, a controversial tradition. Commonly called “pitt” according to the English diction, cockfighting is one of the favorite pastimes of the Martinicans, or rather of a certain generally male public. It is in the burning atmosphere of a “dimanch bomaten” that, released in the arena, two roosters engage in a sometimes very bloody fight. Not for sensitive souls! To be absolutely avoided with children. In the first row, under the furnace of the corrugated iron, the judges, and their assistants signal to the guests to settle down in a jumble of multicolored boards. In the center of this improbable construction, the arena has a diameter of 4 m to 10 m in which all hopes are allowed. Made of clay, it is usually covered with red, green, or blue carpeting to avoid dust storms. Separated from the public stands as it should be, the circle is decorated with one or two access doors allowing the bosses, jurors, and referees to prepare for the joust. In the center of this hullabaloo, in a compartment hoisted with a rope to the ceiling, the “dog” and “major” roosters are finally released. Fed with a great deal of mixed sardines, the roosters, capped, await their turn in numbered “calojs” (small boxes). From then on, a merciless fight begins, during which the bettors, hanging on the padded railing, yell to encourage their champion. Bets are made, and voices are raised, against a background of flying feathers, screams and sharp dewclaws. Sometimes a mongoose and a snake replace the two birds. The atmosphere borders on the excitement of a stadium during a soccer game.
This attraction, even if it is part of the Martinique tradition, is subject to controversy for obvious questions of respect for animal welfare. The Constitutional Council has confirmed the ban of new gallodromes on national territory. This implicitly authorizes existing ones to continue their activities. The objective is to see them disappear little by little and that this tradition fades with time. Even if they never come out of these fights unscathed, it is rare that the animals die (they are worth too much!). The “pitt” often ends with an improvised bèlè in the center of the arena, which turns into a dance floor.
The bèlè. For some years now, Martinique has been reconnecting with its past. Practices that were long considered shameful because they were inherited from the colonial era are resurfacing and experiencing a revival. Such is the case of bèlè, a term referring to all music, Creole songs and dances set to the rhythm of the tambouyé (the drummer). Also called “bel air”, the bèlè appeared during colonialism and allowed the often remote fields to be worked in music, while telling the story of the island and its communities. Long neglected, the bèlè, a symbol of mutual aid and sharing, is now making a strong comeback in Martinique, which has three main centers: in the north of the island (Basse-Pointe and its surroundings), in Sainte-Marie, and in the south of the island, in Anses-d'Arlet.
Lasotè. Lasotè (literally, “to take over the land”) is a tradition that emerged after the abolition of slavery in 1848, when a small peasantry with low incomes inherited sloping land that was difficult to farm. The peers were then called upon to lift their tools in chorus and crush them into the earth, encouraged by the rhythm of the drum so as not to slacken their efforts. This practice of collective plowing, which increases solidarity and fraternity tenfold, faded away in the second half of the 20th century with the departure of the population to the cities, but thanks to a few enthusiasts, such as the Lasotè association in Fonds-Saint-Denis, it is making a remarkable comeback in Martinique, in a spirit of exchange and transmission of these skills and knowledge.
The carnival of Martinique. Lastly, it is impossible to talk about Martinique's traditions without mentioning the carnival, the biggest popular festival of the year, a real jubilation that carries the whole island in its wake. The carnival was brought to the island from Europe by the French colonists in the 17th century; the slaves immediately took a liking to celebrating the last days before Lent in a general euphoria. Disguised (sometimes as masters), the slaves marched in convoys (the ancestor of the vide) and lived this moment as a parenthesis of freedom. Since the liberation of 1848, this tradition is celebrated every year in general euphoria. It is in the streets that the main characters of the Martinique carnival are born (Caroline Zié Loli, Mariann La Po Fig…). From 1950 onwards, the Place de la Savane was no longer sufficient to contain the ever-increasing number of people who came to celebrate the carnival. From Sunday to Wednesday before the Ashes, Martinique is indeed at a standstill and lives only for and by its carnival, symbol of truce in the daily life. The event starts on the Friday following Three Kings' Day (Epiphany) and ends on Ash Wednesday. During the weeks leading up to the carnival, elections are held for the kings and queens of Martinique's communes, certain high schools or neighborhoods, who will proudly represent their towns in the great “vidés” (parades through the streets to carnival rhythms, the sound of floats, or groups on foot) of Fort-de-France or the Parade du Sud. In the heart of the carnival, each day is unique: Monday and its burlesque weddings, Mardi Gras marked with a diabolical red and black, Ash Wednesday in black and white as a sign of mourning (this is the day when Vaval, the king of the carnival is burned). Days and nights follow one another in an atmosphere of frenzy and joy, very expiatory before the much practiced Lent.
