Happy Grand Kadooment Day. It’s Barbados Carnival time!
The first Monday in August, as I’m sure you all know with me banging on about Barbados so much, is Grand Kadooment Day.
Kadooment is Bajan for a big occasion, and believe me, it is everything you might imagine a West Indian carnival would be.
Why else would Rihanna return for it… And Lewis Hamilton? And me, given any and every chance.
It’s the lead news item on the news.
And the teleprinter at the bus station will tell you all the best places to go for limin’, or pre-drinks.
That’s the kind of news I want to read.
And here’s some news on some websites that will tell you more… http://www.barbados.org. www.barbados.org and Foreday Morning, the through-the-morning festival for the locals www.visitbarbados.org/foreday-morning-jam
And the Harbour Lights is a band you might want to jump with… www.harbourlights-barbados.com/About-Barbados/Crop-Over-Festival.
Let’s relive the jumping’ and limin’ and wukkin’ up in my reviews from the Crop Over festival in https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/rihanna-in-barbados/
Which was so good I went back again. https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/my-kiss-with-rihanna/
And if you want five other great carnivals, here’s my list… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/08/05/keep-on-truckin’-the-five-best-carnivals/(opens in a new tab)
My old pal Jevan is all over Grand Kadooment and Crop Over, the Barbados Carnival, but this year he is sitting it out.
A proud Trini, or Trinidadian, he is quick to point out that Trinidad was home to the first Carnival in the Caribbean.
Now I’ve got started I’ll put together a float of carnivals, if that’s the correct collective noun, for you to enjoy.
And, yes, I mean to get around them all before my jumping’ legs give up on me.
Watch this space.
Back to my old mucker, though.
Jevan has made his life now in Barbados where he works as hard at the limin’ as he does his business.
It was here that I first heard the Soca legend that is King Bubba who greeted me with the exortation on my first morning there: ‘I’m calling’ in sick.’
His other refrain is another mantra I now live my life by…
MEET YOU ON THE ROAD
