Wednesday 06, August-2003

by Ricky Jordan

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is patting itself on the back for having pulled in some of the largest Crop-Over crowds ever.

According to its marketing officer Carol Roberts, Monday saw the largest number of Barbadians and visitors flocking to the Spring Garden Highway.

“And for the first time ever, there were over 30 000 paying patrons at the East Coast Party Monarch, and Cohobblopot had probably the biggest crowd ever. So we’re wondering what will we do from here,” she said yesterday.

Read more

Today calypso is an integral part of the Crop Over festival, with the Pic-O-De-Crop Calypso Monarch Competition being one of the most popular events.

During the Crop Over season, numerous calypso tents perform several times weekly and performers compete for a place in the Calypso Monarch finals.

The enthusiasm of Barbados' young calypsonians ensures that the future of calypso in Barbados is secure. The Junior Calypso Monarch competition, serves as an excellent training ground for the calypsonians of the future.

This is a truly unique Barbadian celebration Created from the marriage of the English Harvest Festival and the West African Yam Festival, Crop Over is a coming together of these two great cultures

Music of the Islands

Caribbean Holidays

It was originally held on the sugar plantations and involved the celebration of the end of harvesting of the sugar crop. The plantation labourers would bring the last load of sugar canes to the mill, followed by a procession of workers with exotically decorated animal carts. An effigy was made out of cane trash, representing the hard times faced when sugar cane was not in season.

The official beginning of the festival was when the plantation owner was thanked for being the host of the festival. Food was a plenty and drink flowed freely and there was a riot of folk song, (original calypso music), traditional tuk-band music and dancing.

In the 1940's, due to the war, it was discontinued but the people longed for their traditional form of celebration and finally Crop Over was revived in the 1970's.

From simple beginnings it has grown to a massive festival requiring many months of preparation. Commencing late June and lasting for five weeks, Crop Over's main features are calypso music, flamboyant costumes and a carnival spirit that infects the entire island.

Street jump -ups with tuk-music and stilt walking, vendors with a fantastic selection of food and drink, calypso tents offering a great evening's entertainment: in short ... plenty of fun for all!

Click and enjoy the opening Crop Over opening gala 2003 and follow the carnival.

BARBADOS