Hot, Hot, Hot

This week's theme for Sunday Stamps in Mardi Gras or Carnival. Tricky, I have lots of stamps with dancers but this is the only one I have which is actually celebrating Carnival. Designed by the doyen of stamp designers, David Gentleman and his then wife, Rosalind Dease this stamp is entitled "Trinidad Carnival Dancers ", issued for the Commonwealth Arts Festival in 1965.

The Trinidad and Tobago carnival was going full swing this month, and Trinidadians say it is the best carnival in the world, Brazil, second.  This area of the Caribbean is a mix of cultures and the celebrations reflects this with costumes, stick-fighting, limbo dancing and of course music.  Costumes are the usual over the top mix of sequins and feathers.

On the Carnival Sunday (Dimache Gras) the King and Queen of carnival are chosen. At different times there will be a musical competition for the Calypso Monarch and The Pierrot Grenade will give speeches on the issues of the day, in rhyme.    The lead up to the Carnival will have taken place weeks ahead with preliminary rounds and parties. The carnival is also part of the school national curriculum.  It is said that if Trinidadians are not preparing for Carnival then they will be daydreaming about it.

As we are in Trinidad no carnival  would not be complete without Soca music, and of course I could not resist heading this post after the world wide dance hit "(Feeling) hot, hot hot".  Some of the big names have not been appearing at the carnival but everyone turned up this year, perhaps the prize money of $2M was an incentive.  Here is this year's winner Michel Montano with "Advantage", not the actual Carnival footage but there are feathers and sequins.

Visit Viridian's Postcards for lots more festive Sunday Stamps stamps here