TRINIDAD CARNIVAL 2000

NOBODY throws a party quite like the Trinis.

Carnival season starts just after Christmas with a long string of "fetes" (parties) at which the various bands roll out their new songs, and the partyers show off their costumes. Here is Wendy and Sandy ready to go to the 'Country Club Fete' on the final Friday before Carnival.

'Mas' refers to Masquerade, and you"play Mas" when you dress up for Carnival.

"Jouvey" (j'ouvert) is "Mud Mas' or 'Dirty Mas' and starts on the final Sunday night at 2:00 am right after the 'Dimanche Gras' show. It goes well into the morning. Getting plastered with mud is a sign of having fun.

The 'before' shot (2:00am)

Hey, who threw that mud on me? Thanks.

The 'after' shot (9:00am)

These young ladies must have had fun.

FANCY MAS

Carnival reaches its climax on the Monday and Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday with 'Fancy Mas'. We joined Harts Carnival Band and signed up for costumes based on the artist's conception to the right.

What we ended up with had some semblance to the artist's drawing, but maybe it's because he used models that were too skinny.

And we lived through it once more. Now at Christmas, we are already starting to go to fetes and get ready for our last fling before leaving Trinidad. Bring on the Black Label rum and roti.