MARIGOT--The joy of Carnival lit up the faces of the many children taking part in the parade on Sunday afternoon, as a rainbow of colourful costumes brightened up an otherwise overcast, but dry afternoon in Marigot.
The Children's Parade heralded the start of some 10 days of Carnival activities on the French side, organised this year by Association L'Amicale du Personnel Territorial, that conclude with the traditional burning of King Vaval on February 17.
Nine troupes from took part in the parade. Two of them – École Mangouste and 1,2,3 Soleil – were from private schools. Other participating schools were Hervé Williams 1, Hervé Williams 2, Elie Gibs School, Sandy Ground Primary and Elementary Schools, French Cul-de-Sac pre-school and the Sandy Ground Cultural Centre.
The procession began at the Agrément roundabout as usual, but took a shorter route, using Rue de la Liberté instead of the waterfront and Boulevard de France. Organising committee president Jules Joe said everything had gone very smoothly and there had been no accidents.
"The only hiccup was that some cars in the way did not move in time, which made the turn onto Rue de la Liberté slightly difficult, but overall I must congratulate the security staff and police for a job well done," said Joe.
This year's theme for the parade was a Portrayal of the Caribbean Islands. Hervé Williams 2 offered a tribute to Curaçao with its theme "Bon Bini tu Curaçao," while the Sandy Ground schools highlighted the island of Dominica and its mix of Caribbean and Creole culture.
The Cul-de-Sac pre-school gave a nod to Anguilla with its theme "Rainbow City of Anguilla – Land of Salt and Fish" and Sandy Ground Cultural Centre chose "Country folk of Russia" as its theme.
Next on the Carnival agenda is the St. Martin United for Haiti Charity Concert at Louis Vanterpool Stadium on Thursday at 7:00pm. This is a fundraiser to support the aid effort for the quake-ravaged country. Many local artistes will perform that night. More concerts follow in the stadium: Carnival Kick Off with various artistes on Friday night and Zouk Star and Youth Waves on Saturday night.
The Grand Parade for adult troupes is on Sunday, February 14. Joe said seven troupes would be taking part, with the participation of Moko Jumbie stilt walkers from Anguilla as a special treat.
The Mardi Gras Parade is on Tuesday, February 16, followed by the Black and White Jump-Up on Wednesday. This will be a modified jump-up and parade, Joe said. The burning of King Vaval to close Carnival takes place on the Marigot waterfront that night.
Asked for clarification on the Unity Jump-Up question, Joe said he had received no call from anyone on the Dutch side about it. "Besides, we started late and we were financially tight on what we could spend. But if I had been contacted in advance, we would have welcomed the Dutch-side participants," he said.