Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

explorer
Staff
Art & Culture | February 13, 2012 | Comments 1

Ash Wednesday

On the morning of Ash Wednesday people attend mass seeking forgiveness for their sins and to commence a season of reflection. However, carnival must end properly. To do this, the spirit of carnival must be buried. And so, on the afternoon of Ash Wednesday, in a selected village on the island, the ceremony is held to bury the spirit of carnival. It is a funeral ceremony known as Tayway Vaval– a Creole expression which means, bury carnival.

The people of the chosen village choose one villager who will act as a priest. The villagers attend; Vaval is built in the form of a human/monster and is placed in a coffin. The villagers who attend feign sorrow and tears. Perhaps some of it may be genuine as these are indeed a carnival loving people. And so when Vaval is laid to rest, the people can now go on to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Lenten season, until their beloved carnival returns to them the following year.

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