Carnival at Ste. Marie Madeleine

February 16, 2012              Carnival at Ste. Marie Madeleine

     Today is my birthday!  And yesterday was Carnival at Ste. Marie Madeleine.  People were preparing for more than a week, practicing dance routines and creating costumes.  Festivities began early, around nine in the morning with music playing and amplified loud so that it was heard throughout the community.  The small porch at the entrance of the Director’s office served as a stage.  The children were delighted, screaming with joy, when Director danced.  By ten o’clock the school yard was crowded with people who came to celebrate Carnival, the celebration prior to Ash Wednesday and Lent.  Carnival is a major event here and is celebrated all over Haiti.  All businesses close, schools close, everything shuts down.  It’s the final party before Lent.

     Children, in costume with their faces painted and glitter sparkling in their hair, sang and danced.  Some wore long beads, New Orleans style.  They had so much fun!  The main attraction was our young dancers, preteen and teenage girls who danced cultural Haitian dances.  I amazes me that girls so young can dance as well as they do, moving in the tradition of the Maroons.  Gastina and Anna were a part of the dance line.  Our boys, Kiki, Gregory, Gibson and friends performed a comic routine depicting life in the Haitian countryside.

     The party went on through the afternoon, stopping for Evening Prayer, and then continued until nine o’clock.  Everyone had a great time, so did I!     (We have not had Internet for over week.  I’ll post this as soon as I can.)