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Carnival Martinique

 

The carnival is certainly the best known and most animated annual festival.

As in Guadeloupe, la Trinité, Rio de Janeiro, or Nice, the carnival has a great success in Martinique. It was  the beginning of the catholic Lent, the beginning of this fast takes place during the last " fat " days.

Each commune prepares the festival with the rhythm of drums and dance, by electing its queen and its mini queen for the children, and it is among them that will be selected the queens of the carnival.

It begins on the last Sunday of the Epiphany with an explosion of cheerfulness, and ends with the burial of Vaval, on Ash Wednesday. This day, devils and she-devils dressed in white and black parade in the streets of Fort de France, dancing and singing with the sound of the tom-toms, the beguines of the Grand Vidé. At the end of the day, the effigy of Vaval called " Bois Bois ", is burned in an incredible hubbub and thrown in the sea under the cries and the lamentations of the crowd. " Vaval mô, vaval mô (Carnival is dead). Vaval Pa quitté nou (Carnival, do not leave us)".

The carnival knows a last start in the Semi Lent with the large red and black procession in the streets.

During all the period of the carnival, disguised children  traditionally go to crossroads everywhere in the island to request candies and money from the drivers.