The Steel band Festival, held during October - November in Port of Spain is made up of two categories, the School Steel Bands and the National Steel Bands, and occur in alternate years.
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
Our Carnival celebrations, held forty days before Easter in February or March is without doubt the greatest show on earth. And while it is two days of unrestricted revelry, it is the culmination of several months of creative and innovative activities. explosion of colour, costumery, creativity, music and dance which culminates on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with the Parade of Bands.
The weeks preceding Carnival are filled with the sounds of the Steel band and Calypso; Children's Parade of Bands preliminaries and the finals of the 'Panorama' competition.
At the 'Dimanche Gras' competition, held at Queen's Park Savannah on Sunday evening before Carnival, The King and Queen of Carnival and the National Calypso Monarch are crowned. J' Ouvert, signals start of Carnival, about 2.00 am on Monday. From this moment on ... King Carnival reigns supreme until midnight on Tuesday, when with Las' Lap the curtain comes down until the next year.
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
Aum Namah Shivaya is the mantra by which Hindus pay obeisance to Shiva ... the re-absorber aspect of God. Shiva Ratri is the 14th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Phalgun (February-March). This night is dedicated to Shiva.
Devotees observed strict spiritual discipline and at night, most attend to Shiva Puja at home or temples and make offerings, including milk, honey, dahi, bael leaves and dhatur or madar flowers. They sing hymns and chant mantras, invoking the blessing of Lord Shiva. Dhar .. mixture of the ingrediants and poured on the lingam ... which represents Lord Shiva in the "form and likeness of the devotee's own thought and desires."
Last Update 10:52AM 10/6/97
Brought to these parts since 1845 by the East Indian indentured labourers, Phagwa or Holi, is the Hindu Festival in which color (rang), music (ras) and song (rag) are without limit. In Trinidad some .. non-Hindus -- liken Phagwa to Carnival but to the Hindus, while there is some resemblence, it differs in significance and the spirit of the participants, who strictly abstain from any form of alcohol and restrict themselves to a vegetarian diet.
This festival celebrates
Phagwa celebrations follows Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) which takes place on the full moon night in the month of Phalgun (February or March). This aspect of the celebration is related to the legend of Prahalad .. the young prince who defied his evil father, Hiranya Kashipa to worship Ramaa.
The celebrations begin at the break of dawn as relatives, neighbours and friends seek and soak one another with colourful abeer (water colored red, yellow etc.) in fun filled mood. As the day advances, groups in colourful costume mounted to decorated open tray trucks, wend their ways to venues of competition throughout the island.
Main competition venues are Aranguez, Penal, St. Augustine and Cedros where chowtal, kabira, ulara, tassa drumming, dolak drumming and other competitions are held and in some venues "Holi ka Rani" (queen) are selected from the crowd.
Last Update 9:25AM 10/6/97
On the request of Kausalya, Lord Vishnu re-manifested himself as a child and was subsequently named Ramaa.
Hindus pay homage to Lord Ramaa, the hero of the Ramayana. They celebrate Ramaa's birthday, during the first Nauratum .. March-April .. with rituals and prayers at home and temples and distribute charity, toys to children and "seedha" (package containing rice, flour, sugar, oil etc. .. ingredients for cooking one to five meals .. and clothing and cash or jewelry) to brahmins, sadhus and pandits. The celebration is similar to that of observing the birth of Lord Krishna.
Last Update 5:44PM 10/6/97
Sant Tulsidas in his Ramcharitmansa and in the Hanuman Chalisa expounds the birth and prowess of Sri Hanuman who was the son of Anjani and Keshari. Observance of Hanuman's birthday to this day remains restricted to temples and pujas in homes.
Last Update 5:44PM 10/6/97
Here the sister arms herself with the armulet .... now sold throughout the isalnd in a variety of styles, similar to a wrist-watch ... , a thali ladden with sweets, flowers, essence, chandan and a lighted deya. She confronts her brother, while chanting a sacred mantra or singing to him, she places a flower on his head, annoint his forehead with chandan or tika, sprinkle essence on him andthen perform the arti with the lighted deya then tie the armulet and feeds him some sweets and bow to his feet. The brother in turn gives her a hug and gift. It is not uncommon on Raksha Bandan days to see Hindu brothers walking into classes and offices with the colorful armulets ... some with several armulets.
This touching tradition among Hindus goes back to the dark ages and in its earliesr period was not restricted to brothers and sisters but included even wives and husbands since it mean the re-enforcement of a
Last Update 10:12AM 10/6/97
Krishna Janmashtami, in observed on the on the eight day of the dark forthnight of the month of Bhadrapad (August - September), when Krishna manifested himself to Vasudev and Devaki in prison, but he actually grew up as the son of Nanda and Yasoda in Gokul.
Krishna's birth is observed mainly by Hindus devotees who fast during day, gather in temples for evening celebrations. There they sing and dance and participate in prayer until midnight when Krishn is born. Each devotee go through the paces of paying obeisance to the "baby", placed and rocked in a hammock. The celebration continues throughout the day and in some cases to the next day.
Last Update 6:25PM 10/6/97
Ganesh birthday is observed on the 4th day in the Hindu month of Bhadrva (August - September). Ganesh, the som of Parvati and Lord Shiva, is a popular deity with an elephant's head and the first deity to be invoked at any puja.
Ganesh revered as remover of obstacles and bringer of luck, and many Hindus invoke his name when they begin undertakings. Huge images of Ganesh are paraded on this holiday in India, while in this country people gather in temples for worship and feasting.
In Trinidad, Ganesh is invoked before any undertaking, recitation or pujan but the birthday celebration sofar remain restricted to temples and homes.
Ganesh is worhiped, each night and on this day, an effigy built with mud and in a procession taken to river and sumerged as part of the ceremony.
Last update 6:02PM 10/6/97
Pitra Paksh is observed during the month of Ashvin (September-October). Hindus perform (Shradh) rites in accordance to the Garura Puran, which specifies several stages and types of rites. Simplified, in making offerings the mantras used states that it is done to assist the pitras. Offerings of food, clothes, monies etc. are made to the aged, sadhus, pandits, children and the needy.
Nine days and nights immediately following Pitra Paksh. Hindus dedicate this period to pay obeisance and worship the feminine or mother aspect of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesa. Durga ... Mahesa ... who is visualised as the destroyer of feelings that bring about anger, hatred, violence and pride is worshipped on the first three days; Lakshmi -- Vishnu ... is seen as the purifier, replacing all negative thoughts with positive tendencies. The second three days are dedicated to Lakshmi and the last three days to Sarswati ... Brahma ... personified as divine wisdom.
Nau Ratum is observed twice a year in the month of Chaitra (March-April) and Ashwin (September - October). Fasting and daily worship is the routine and the process translate purification and rededication i.e. the first three days clears the minds of negative thoughts; the second induces posite and righteous thoughts and the third, divine and spiritual influences.
Last Update 6:05PM 10/6/97
Several venues throughout the country is used to stage open air drama ... Ram Leela, enacting the Ramayana where Rama the hero destroys Ravana, who represents evil. Participants in these plays observed strict discipline in acordance to Hindu ethics and spend the entire fortnight away from family life.
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
Last Update 8:12PM 10/6/97
It is one of the more popular auspicious days for the Hindus when they worship Mother Lakshmi. In India the celebration is held for five days. It is celebrated in Amavaysa of Kartik on the 15th day of the dark fortnight in October-November and the five days are as follows:
Last Update 8:07PM 10/6/97
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
Hosein or Hosay is celebrated in the Muhurram month of the Muslim calendar, ten days after the appearance of the new moon. Although it was originally observed as a religious ceremony the Muslim sect, known as " Shiites ", in Trinidad non-Muslims are also involved in the building of the tadjahs and the ceremonies.
It is claimed that the festival is in honour of two brothers Hosein and Hassan who were killed in a Persian holy war. Before the procession amid the beat of tassas, crying, singing and dancing, weeks are spent in the building and decorating of several " tadhgias " in mosque-like shapes.
On the final day of the nightly "dancing tadhgias" along the streets, the tadhgias are "put to rest" in the sea or river.
The ceremony which was at one time observed in several parts of the island, became very restricted following the Hosein Riots of 1834. To this day it cannot be celebrated in the City of Port of Spain or San Fernando and is now seen in no more than one or two parts of the island, including St. James and Cedros.
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
����Gran Chemin at Moruga had become one of the favourite excursion spots for the People's National Movement and during its reign in government, Moruga Day to mark the landing came into being, but to this day, scholars still dispute the "landing at Moruga."
Last Update 9:49AM 10/4/97
Last Update 8:14PM 10/6/97
Since 1987, Tobago has its own festival that spread over two weeks, from mid-July. The iternary meticously covers not only it "goat" and "crab" races in its sporting evnts, but songs, music, drama and dances from the eraliest inception of its history. The shows culminate with the selection of a "Miss Heritage Pageant".
Last Update 8:15PM 10/6/97