Caribbean calypso carnival

At the J'ouvert street party, revellers smear themselves - and spectators - with paint, mud, chocolate syrup or crude oil. Photo / AP

It is hot and loud. It is carnival in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago where the pre-Lenten festivities, dubbed the greatest show on Earth, last about five weeks.

Until Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 25 this year, the islands' inhabitants will be busy sewing costumes, tuning steel pans - percussion instruments made from oil drums - practising with their bands and party-hopping.

The people on Tobago, the smaller island, take carnival less seriously, but Trinidadians pull out all the stops.

The Saturday before Lent is traditionally dominated by the steel-band competition Panorama.

Up to 100 musicians take to the stage in the capital Port of Spain and play their sheet-metal instruments, which are arranged in an orchestra according to pitch.

They practice for weeks before the competition at a "pan yard", a kind of training ground, in their respective neighbourhoods.

On the Friday before Lent, soca artists take part in the International Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch competitions.

Soca is an offshoot of calypso, a music genre noted for social commentary with a competition of its own during the carnival.

There are also plenty of open-air parties at which male singers call scantily clad girls on to the stage to "wine" or dance in a close embrace with much gyrating and suggestive hip-swivelling.

Tourists who do not want to make the locals smirk should refrain from "wining", and dance instead at the parades and other parties.

Unlike Brazil's carnival, which requires participants to belong to a samba school, anyone in Trinidad can be part of a "band".

Several days before the parades, the band members will receive their costumes, often comprising a skimpy bikini and feather trimming for women, and a loin cloth and vest for men.

The most popular bands charge their members the equivalent of $400, which also covers the cost of food and drink during the parades.

Participants and spectators at the parades stamp, dance or jump to the Road March, the musical composition that has won the right to be played most during carnival.

One of the highlights of Trinidad's Carnival is J'ouvert, on the Monday before Lent. The term comes from the French expression "jour ouvert," or "daybreak."

J'ouvert is a large street party, beginning at 4am, where revellers smear themselves with paint, mud, chocolate syrup or crude oil and "stomp" along the road behind trucks playing music. It is an event tailor-made for people unable to afford sequinned costumes.

Spectators should wear clothing they are prepared to discard because J'ouvert revellers like to pull them into the throng and smear them, too.

"It's quite a mess but it's fun," said Ilona, an Irish tourist.

Once it's over, weary, spattered figures walk the streets.

Hotels set up outdoor showers as they will not allow chocolate-stained or oil-smeared guests back into their rooms.

There is hardly any time to rest during carnival on Trinidad anyway.

A few hours after J'ouvert, the Carnival Monday procession gets under way.

The climax, however, is the parade on Carnival Tuesday.

Thousands of revellers then dance through the streets during "pretty mas" (masquerade), which is so called because the costumes are so fancy.

Another carnival ceremony on Trinidad involves the Blue Devils of Paramin, a mountain village about a half-hour drive from Port of Spain.

After sundown on Carnival Monday, blue-painted men and boys swarm out of their homes and head for the village, where they blow fire and beat drums made from biscuit tins.

The devils smear anyone who does not give them a dollar with blue paint, then noisily move on.

"Some people really do turn into little devils," said Andrew, a tour guide. "They do really crazy things such as biting off the heads of dead chickens. A lot of people are afraid of them."

In any case, taking part in carnival on Trinidad is not without its risks. Authorities are warning that the number of violent crimes in Trinidad and Tobago is increasing.

The districts of Laventille and Morvant in Port of Spain should be avoided, and caution is recommended in the district of Belmont.

Tourists should also not underestimate the potential for trouble in seemingly minor quarrels in the streets, as weapons are readily available, and used.

Women travelling alone during Carnival are advised to be particularly careful.

As in Europe, Trinidad's carnival ends on Ash Wednesday.

Weary soca singers, calypso musicians and bikini girls then take a 20-minute flight to the neighbouring island of Tobago, where they recuperate on the Caribbean island's beaches.

Recovering from the carnival does not last too long, however.

By summertime, preparations begin for the next "greatest show on Earth" and Trinidadians consider yet again which band to join, what costume to wear and which parties to attend.

- NZPA