How To Participate | Glossary of Terms | Tips on Participating

Bacchanal A large, noisy party where there is lots of excitement (named after Bacchus, the God Wine.)
Band Launching A Launch party to introduce the band and its costumes to the public
Calypso pronounced (cal-ip-so).
Caribana™ One of North America’s largest cultural Festivals that imitate Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival, that is free-flowing and an unrehearsed street dance.
Fetes Derived from the Caribbean originally a Soca or Calypso oriented dance or party around Carnival time.
J’ouvert The starting festivities of the Carnival.
Jump Up A jumping motion of dancing to soca or calypso.
Lent The Catholic holiday of which the Trinidadian Carnival was celebrated for.
Mas A costume used in Caribbean Festival.
Mas Camp A venue where the mas costumes for the bands are constructed.
Play Mas Dancing in the streets in costume with desired band or float.
Soca Calypso’s fast pace & high-energy offspring, introduced on scene in the seventies. Soca uses the same basic beat as calypso combined with soul music only sped-up and stroked with a laid back bass-line and a touch of drumming.
Steelpan One of the most unique and beautifully sounding instruments given birth in Trinidad and believed to be the only percussion instrument introduced the 20th century.
Wining (wine-ing) The Rotating or gyrating your waist to the rhythm of the music, ex. wine your waist

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