Photo Credit: Saint Lucia Carnival Facebook Page
SAINT LUCIA CARNIVAL
BECAME AN ORGANIZED
FESTIVAL AFTER WORLD
WAR II
Calypso dates back to the early 19th
century and was originally called caïso
or cariso. The first King and Queen
competition came later in 1950.
9
West Indian carnival has its roots in
The first recorded carnival was in Ghanaian and West African traditions.
1947 when a "small group of young European carnival came initially to the
people dressed in ragged clothes; French-controlled territories where
beat out rhythms on bottles and pieces of Catholicism was firmly established.
steel as they paraded through Castries on
During the carnival season before Lent,
Shrove Monday night," according to an
groups of slaves led by popular singers, or
article in Visions.
chantwel, wandered through the streets
The following year, 1948, there were steel singing and improvising veiled lyrics
bands, calypsos and costumed bands. But directed toward unpopular political
figures.
some citizens were not welcoming of the
novel celebration and deemed the calypso
lyrics offensive.
Source: http://www.slucia.com/visions/carnival.html