The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago welcomed guests for an evening of storytelling, cultural immersion, and appreciation as Tiny Mas, Big Heritage 2 kicked off its annual Carnival showdown at the historic Mille Fleurs Heritage House in Port of Spain over the weekend.
This powerful celebration of Carnival offered an immersive heritage experience for all age groups.
Commercial Service Coordinator Simone Thorne-Mora said the signature Carnival experience took on a whole new meaning this year, one that sought to evoke the inner child within every adult.
“We saw adults who went on a stilt, on a moko jumbie for the first time, who played pan for the first time. Now these are people who go to pan every year, dance, and enjoy themselves but have never been up close and up personal in a pan space, and they were like children.”
Ms. Thorne-Mora said the event also offered cultural lessons aimed at sustaining our island’s rich cultural heritage.
“All persons who are here are getting an education, an education in mas, an education in the foundational aspects of the mas where it started, the traditional characters, the pierrot grenade, the midnight robber, the stick fighting, the moko jumbie. We also have the Steelpan Manufacturers Association showing how a pan is made.”
One of the lesser-known traditional Carnival characters, the Minstrel, made its grand entrance on the day, performing music, storytelling, and poetry about historical events.
Margeret Remy, who has portrayed the Minstrel character for several years, said she is also using this event as a teaching opportunity.
“My thing is, a lot of people don’t know what minstrels are. They don’t know what minstrels are, so I had to go up to them and say, ‘Do you know who I am?’ or they would pass me straight until I started singing a song, and they would say, ‘Wait, that is a minstrel,’ so we are happy. We just did that there, and they were very happy to learn all the old songs. The name of the person who really started this was Merilla. We told her the story about her, how she was here before it had big mas.”
The event featured hands-on cultural activities, live performances, and traditional Carnival characters.