Occupying roughly 2,000 square miles of tropical paradise off the coast of Venezuela lies the two islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Known by most people as an awesome place to go on vacation, the country's main industry is petroleum and petrochemicals. For this reason, loafers and job hunters are always on the prowl for vacancies in Trinidad and Tobago.
Part of the nation's appeal as a vacation spot is its tropical climate. Basically, there are two seasons here; a long, hot summer lasting six months and a six-month autumn of rain. Another feather in its cap is the fact that T&T lie outside what is referred to as the hurricane belt. This is a section of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean that are battered each year by hurricanes from June through November. Trinidad, the big island, is a rectangular piece of land with a thick tail in the southwestern corner that points in the direction of Venezuela.
Occupying 1,841 square miles, Trinidad is the larger of the two main islands. In the early days of its settlement by humans, it derived its name from the Arawak language. There are disagreements over whether it was named for the hummingbird or simply, "island." When the Spanish Catholic explorer, Christopher Columbus arrived, he called it Trinidad, in recognition of the Holy Trinity.
The main cultural event on the islands is the Carnival. This is a two-day festival held the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday each year. Brilliantly colorful and more than a little bit racey, it serves as a get-it-all-out-of-yer-system party before the 40-day period of abstinence of Lent. A major tourist attraction, Carnival is two full days of parades, costumes, music and dancing. The precursor to Carnival, Canboulay, was the birthplace of calypso music. Today, soca has become very popular at Carnival, too.
It was during the 1600s that calypso was born. Then, it was a blend of kaiso from West Africa with a strong influence from the French. The instruments of soca come from the Indian subcontinent. Hence its nickname, "chutney music." Calypso uses a greater variety of musical instruments: clarinet, flute, trombone, saxophone, steelpan, congas, bongos, violin and more. Soca, on the other relies on the dhantal, tabla and dholak and a few others.
While Carnival was imported by the French, their slaves were prohibited from attending. Instead, they kicked off their own party, called Canboulay. The word comes from the French for burnt sugar cane. Unfortunately, the celebrations were sometimes infiltrated by what we would probably refer to as gangs, who would start out by singing song duels at each other. Eventually, they degenerated to violent clashes.
The British were in charge at the time and tried to bring the situation under control by prohibiting the sticks and torches used in the disruption of the festivities. When this didn't work, they took it a step further and put a stop to the carnival itself. This did not go down well with the locals and the Canboulay Riots earned their place in history with a massive and violent public outcry.
The authorities finally wrenched control and a gentler version of the Canboulay emerged and this is what is celebrated today. It is still a spectacle to behold and well worth looking for vacancies in Trinidad and Tobago.
Part of the nation's appeal as a vacation spot is its tropical climate. Basically, there are two seasons here; a long, hot summer lasting six months and a six-month autumn of rain. Another feather in its cap is the fact that T&T lie outside what is referred to as the hurricane belt. This is a section of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean that are battered each year by hurricanes from June through November. Trinidad, the big island, is a rectangular piece of land with a thick tail in the southwestern corner that points in the direction of Venezuela.
Occupying 1,841 square miles, Trinidad is the larger of the two main islands. In the early days of its settlement by humans, it derived its name from the Arawak language. There are disagreements over whether it was named for the hummingbird or simply, "island." When the Spanish Catholic explorer, Christopher Columbus arrived, he called it Trinidad, in recognition of the Holy Trinity.
The main cultural event on the islands is the Carnival. This is a two-day festival held the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday each year. Brilliantly colorful and more than a little bit racey, it serves as a get-it-all-out-of-yer-system party before the 40-day period of abstinence of Lent. A major tourist attraction, Carnival is two full days of parades, costumes, music and dancing. The precursor to Carnival, Canboulay, was the birthplace of calypso music. Today, soca has become very popular at Carnival, too.
It was during the 1600s that calypso was born. Then, it was a blend of kaiso from West Africa with a strong influence from the French. The instruments of soca come from the Indian subcontinent. Hence its nickname, "chutney music." Calypso uses a greater variety of musical instruments: clarinet, flute, trombone, saxophone, steelpan, congas, bongos, violin and more. Soca, on the other relies on the dhantal, tabla and dholak and a few others.
While Carnival was imported by the French, their slaves were prohibited from attending. Instead, they kicked off their own party, called Canboulay. The word comes from the French for burnt sugar cane. Unfortunately, the celebrations were sometimes infiltrated by what we would probably refer to as gangs, who would start out by singing song duels at each other. Eventually, they degenerated to violent clashes.
The British were in charge at the time and tried to bring the situation under control by prohibiting the sticks and torches used in the disruption of the festivities. When this didn't work, they took it a step further and put a stop to the carnival itself. This did not go down well with the locals and the Canboulay Riots earned their place in history with a massive and violent public outcry.
The authorities finally wrenched control and a gentler version of the Canboulay emerged and this is what is celebrated today. It is still a spectacle to behold and well worth looking for vacancies in Trinidad and Tobago.
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This article collected, selected and written by: Author Van Hoc
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