Trinidad and Tobago Carnival: Part 5 – Dimanche Gras

Dimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition) and prize money and a vehicle bestowed. Also the King and Queen of the bands are crowned, where each band to parade costumes for the next two days submits a king and queen, from which an overall winner is chosen. These usually involve huge, complex, beautiful costumes. In recent years however this traditional format has been tweaked and adjusted so that all of the above fall on different nights leading up to the Sunday Night.

For a historical look at this annual event visit Terry Joseph’s article “Dimanche Gras”

SIGHTS:

Singing Sandra dressed in white singing ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ in the Calypso Monarch competition (2003) 

The compositions performed on Dimanche Gras night tend to be socio-political commentaries on the issues of the day (both local, regional, and international)

Pink Panther “Travel Woes” (Calypso Monarch 2013)SOUNDS:

Queen of the band competition 2006 at Queen Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, CARIBBEAN. The performer is Peter Minshall’s “Daughter of Tan Tan”.  

TASTES:

Bertie’s Trinidad Pelau (my father usually makes 2 ‘big pots’ of pelau that last us through Carnival Sunday to Ash Wednesday). Carnival is not a time to be slaving over a stove daily!

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