CARNIVAL
Carnival is a masterclass in creativity and cultural preservation. As the season moves from winter into spring, celebrations shift in tone and tradition: some begin with sunrise rituals and powder, others with drums echoing through historic town squares; some rely on theatrical symbolism, others on glitter and feathers; some challenge you to keep pace, others invite you to slow down and witness. In the Caribbean and Atlantic region, Carnival often blends African retentions with island-specific rhythms—bouyon, calypso, soca, gwo-ka, jab, zouk—shaping road experiences that feel both familiar and new. Some islands root their storytelling in folklore and ancestral characters; others prioritize pageantry, costumes, or sonic innovation. Rooted in the sounds of the diaspora, Carnival is a return to our common language - JOY! MIKA SMITH DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS OF THE SAME ANCESTRAL SONG. Across Africa, South America, and the The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), Carnival often expands into large-scale choreography, samba schools, trios elétricos, and processions grounded in Afro-Brazilian, Cape Verdean, or creole memory. These Carnivals stretch the imagination—bold, colorful, spiritual, and fiercely expressive. In places like Brooklyn, Miami Toronto and Notting Hill, Carnival takes on a different shape—blending cultural fragments, migration stories, and community traditions into celebrations that belong equally to the past and the present. Despite the differences, the throughline is unmistakable: joy as resistance, community as celebration, and rhythm as inheritance.
I J U S travel
LEGGO | DEC ‘25
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