Icom's Blog – December 2016 Archive (10)

1. This is a two day jump much like Trinidad.

2. However on Monday revellers come out in FULL costume.

The biggest party of the year, New Year's Eve is a rocking good time in the Caribbean. Take your pick from champagne toasts on the beach and fine dining in elegant hotels to spectacular fireworks that light up the skies at midnight. Put your party hat on and check out the funkiest spots to usher out the old and ring…

Jamaican parents are a breed like no other. They are the beauty and bane of their children’s existence. Their children often can’t live with them, but also can’t live without them, because for all the boofs and koofs they dole out, there are often equal or greater portions of care, concern and good, old-fashioned family love. If you did a survey of Jamaican-raised persons, you would almost certainly find that all of them have heard the phrases listed…

With so many delectable dishes to choose from, it’s hard to say no to an extra helping of your favourite foods this Christmas. An extra pastelle here and a few glasses of ponche de crème there couldn’t possibly do any harm, right? Wrong. Keeping in control and watching your portions is what you’ll have to do if you don’t want to pack on extra pounds during the holidays. 



And, if you’re already battling with…

Carnival Monday will never be the same. This according to Jesus Douglas of Caribbean Beauties (CB), a social media behemoth which has rapidly grown to fame in just 2.5 years. Jesus made the statement at the launch of the newest Mas Band to hit the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival scene at the Hyatt Regency on Monday evening. Aptly dubbed Mondayness, the band offers a one-day-only Mondaywear Mas experience – the first…

While carnivalists in Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba and other parts of the Caribbean are nursing hangovers, Martinique will be in full swing as they will be beginning the final and most exciting day of their celebrations as the Carnival runs an extra 24 hours.



As if this was not enough about three weeks into Lent, the island comes up with a dawn-to-dusk reprise of Carnival in miniature, an official holiday known as…

Carnival! The most wonderful time of year! Friends, family and acquaintances unite, and blissfully fete for days and nights on end, creating a slew of wonderful memories that culminate in the greatest show on earth.  We wait all year to enjoy the latest soca hits, throw on our sexiest outfits, link up with our besties, and of course, show off our hard work in the gym Monday and Tuesday.  What could possibly go wrong?  What could possibly interrupt…

You have not lived until you have experienced the spirit of Carnival as it is celebrated in Aruba! Carnival means weeks of events that bring you colorfully decorated floats, contagiously throbbing music, luxuriously costumed groups of celebrants of all ages, King & Queen elections, electrifying jump ups and torch light parades that wind their way through the streets at night, the Jouvert morning: the Children's Parades and finally the Grand…

Whether they are called carnavales, charangas or parrandas, large public celebrations dating at least (in Santiago de Cuba) as far back as the 17th century are common throughout Cuba. However, among Cubans, the Carnaval of Santiago de Cuba enjoys a special status.

The history of Carnival in Cuba has been nuanced by a wide variety of interests and influences. Based on a Herskovitsian retention model, a…