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Carnival or Kanaval

Little Haiti reopen of the Caribbean Market Place with Carnival by Michelle Spence-Jones

Little Haiti reopen of the Caribbean Market Place with Carnival by Michelle Spence-Jones

With reopening of the Caribbean Market Place in Little Haiti, the office of Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones with the support of a number of sponsors will organize a Haitian Carnival in Little Haiti. February 18, 2012 will be ready to celebrate carnival just like in Haiti and it is taking place at the same time with the Carnival in Haiti

There will be plenty of music, dance, color, Haitian food and drink. Music will be assured by performances of many local groups such as Grove Relax, Rasin Lakay and Jude Papa Loko. Music bands such as the Rara Band and Conga Band will also grace the occasion.

This carnival in Little Haiti along with the reopening of the Caribbean Market Place in Little Haiti will be used to promote tourism. It is a good way to show to the world that the tourism industry in Haiti can be revamped.

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Sweet Micky - Ba'l bannann nan (kanaval 2016)

Sweet Micky - Ba'l bannann nan (kanaval 2016)

Here is the picture for Sweet Micky - Ba'l bannann nan (kanaval 2016).

The President of a country should be the guarantor of social cohesiveness, never an instigator of denigration or lynching his countrymen publicly as opposition. At a time when the country was passing through a crisis, as a President, instead of devoting every moment to solve it Martelly was found releasing his carnival meringue targeting the journalist Liliane Pierre-Paul. Undoubtedly, it is a shame for a man of his stature to display own displeasure and disrespect in such a vulgar manner. Liliane is not only a star reporter; she is the President of the Association of Haitian Media and one of the prides of Haitian society. As a regular host of the Radio Kiskeya, she had always remained vocal against all irregularities and election frauds, especially targeting Martelly's PHTK platform. However, if Martelly likes to mark the end of his government in this manner, not in a cohesive tone, it would be typical of his character.

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Paul Evans in Carnival of Jacmel

Paul Evans in Carnival of Jacmel

Here is a picture of Haitian Prime Minister Paul Evans as he was participating in Jacmel Carnival in 2015. He calls for serenity and solidarity, on the Carnival of Jacmel.

Carnival in Jacmel has been always rich in culture, an all-day outdoor event within an ideal climate. It is the home of regional and national carnival celebration where you can visit local historic places or simply indulge in the delightful beaches or enjoy the amazing Haitian cuisine, legendary work from local artists. On February 8th, 2015, thousands of Haitians and foreigners were present to witness this popular extraordinary carnival event. The Haitian Prime Minister Paul Evans, who was also present there had reminded that celebrating any culture reflects the spirit of peace and joy that people have within their mind. The people of Haiti would confirm this to the world community with the celebration of colorful carnival at Jacmel.

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National Carnival 2015, Nou tout se Ayiti

National Carnival 2015, Nou tout se Ayiti

Presentation of queens and kings of Carnival for the National Carnival 2015, Nou tout se Ayiti.

On Sunday, 15 February, President Martelly in the presence of several important ministers and government dignitaries inaugurated the National Carnival 2015 on the theme "Nou tout se Ayiti" (or "We are Haitians") at the National Palace. Minister Raton who is the Minister of Culture and also the Honorary President of the Carnival, took the opportunity to congratulate the Head of the State for his dedication and determination in successfully organizing the biggest cultural event of the country. The President reciprocated his thankfulness to the organizers and revelers for cultivating solidarity and exposing the talents of Haitian artisans. A successful, organized Carnival is helpful in attracting tourists and investment in the country.

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Kanaval Accident in Haiti

Kanaval Accident in Haiti

Here is a picture taken on Mardi Gras, following the Kanaval accident where 18 people got killedKanaval Accident in Haiti

On 17 February, around 8:00 GMT, the Mardi Gras float of the Barikad Crew got electrocuted on Rue Capois while it was passing under a high tension electric cable near the Champ de Mars. Star rapper of the group, known as "Phantom", was reported to be one of the first victims to receive the electric shock. According to a doctor who spoke to radio station, Zenith-FM, he is hopeful about Phantom's recovery. A singer of the band who was performing on the float, used a stick to move the power line to letting the float to pass; the person attempted was instantly electrocuted. A post in the 'You Tube' shows that the electric cable caught the head of a singer from the hip-hop band 'Barikad Crew' while the Mardi Gras float was passing the presidential stand packed with spectators. A three- day State mourning has been declared till Saturday, on the day of the State funeral. This is a common practice in many countries to have someone positioned atop a parade float to move low-hanging power lines. Recently, on the same day, another similar incident has taken three lives in Brazil.

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Kanaval accident in Haiti

Kanaval accident in Haiti

20 people Electrocuted in Haitian Carnival Barikad Crew float

On February 17th, while celebrating the Final moment of the Mardi Gras Carnival in Port-au-Prince before the Ash Wednesday, over 20 people were electrocuted on a float and more than 60 people were injured of stampede in an ensuing panic by the bystanders when a carnival float hit a power line. As per recent report 16 people have been died after the incident. The accident happened a little before 8:00 AM GMT, when someone on the float used a pole to move a live power line out of the way so that the float could pass under it. Hundreds of people had rushed to the hospitals, some carrying the victims and others searching for their family members and friends. Later on the same day, the new Haitian Prime Minister Evans Paul arranged a silent condolence parade on the Champ de Mars where the accident occurred. The Haitian President Martelly has expressed his deepest sympathy to the victims on a twitter message.

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Women dancing - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

Women dancing - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

Carnival in Haiti is influenced by its diverse traditions, religious practices and cultural heritages of varied early settlers. Port-au-Prince hosts one of the largest Mardi Gras carnivals in the Caribbean and the North America. The celebration is greatly sponsored by the government, wealthy Haitian families and businessmen. It is celebrated with music, bands and parades with colorful floats on the trucks. The floats have sound systems to entertain people with Haitian music. Many food stands are set up on the streets that sell delicious Haitian barbecued treats and rum. The Carnival week is celebrated in a sophisticated manner with extravagant formal galas organized by many governmental offices, schools, musicians and other organizations. Everyone wants to take part in the President's Ball where the President of Haiti crowns the Carnival King and Queen.

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The Crowd - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

The Crowd - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

History of Carnival in Rio Vs Haiti

Today, the carnival of Rio de Janerio is considered to be the biggest in the world with an average approximately two million participants recorded each day. The carnival set a record when the attendance of foreign visitors touched 400,000 in the festival of 2004. It is a 4-day celebration that starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras. The carnival is a national holiday in Brazil. Although it officially runs from Friday night to noon of the following Wednesday, many Brazilians turn it into a 10-day holiday. In this summer, between February 13th and 17th, over 1 million visitors as well as local residents attended over hundreds of Rio street parties and balls and there was plenty to do for everyone. The competition among the top samba schools took the celebration to an extravagant level. Although Carnival is celebrated in many parts Brazil, it is Rio that is considered as the Carnival capital of the world-- Rio has always been the main attraction among the tourists. Rio carnival parades are filled with revelers, gorgeous floats and adornments from numerous samba schools (over 200) which are located in Rio. The schools participate in the celebration in a great orderly manner.

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Haiti during Kanaval - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

Haiti during Kanaval - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

The first recorded carnival in Rio de Janerio dates back to the 1723 A.D, much earlier than in Haiti, where it started in the year of its declaration of independence in 1804. The immigrants from the Portuguese islands of Açores, Madeira and Cabo Verde introduced the festival in Rio named "Entrudo" which means Shrove Tuesday and the two days preceding it, when it was formerly customary to attend confession. However, the idea and objective of the earlier celebration was to make everybody soaked wet with buckets of water and limes. Even the emperor used to take part in the fun.

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The Dress - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

The Dress - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

Carnival in Specific Countries Compared to Haiti

The festival season varies from country to country and city to city. Some traditions consider Mardi Gras during the entire period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. While others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In some American cities, it is now called "Mardi Gras Day". Carnival first came to Trinidad (as "J'Ouvert") in the Caribbean with the French Catholic plantation slave owners during the 1700s. Today it is very famous for the carnival in the Caribbean and Trinidadians are famous for transplanting their carnival culture to new places. Perhaps Mardi Gras is most majestically celebrated in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. In Mexico, it is called as "Martes de Carnaval". Carnival in Spain is a charming event where everyone participates even those with little means; it is well known for its vibrant costumes and masks. Although the Carnival celebration in Spain is not as esthetically beautiful as in Venice nor as over the top and dance orientated as in Brazil (Rio).

This Catholic festival has been imported to Haiti mainly by the early European settlers. Haitian carnival is, however, heavily influenced by its local customs and rituals like Voodoo and Haitian music. Music always remain the central part of the celebration. Participants perform comedy acts often satirizing political topics. People take part in parade floats where music systems are set up on trucks. It is celebrated in grand scale in the capital city and Jacmel and on certain smaller scales in smaller Haitian provinces. Jacmel is the art capital of Haiti. The artisans from this town make beautiful papier-mâché masks and costumes that represent religious or ghoulish creatures and often mocked political figures. Carnival is a good source of revenue to the country's economy.

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