Crop over

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crop over is Barbados' biggest festival, having had its early beginnings on the sugar cane plantations during the colonial period. The crop over tradition began in 1688, and featured singing, dancing and accompaniment by bottles filled with water, shak-shak, banjo, triangle, fiddle, guitar, and bones. Other traditions included climbing a greased pole, feasting and drinking competitions. Originally a celebration signaling the end of the yearly sugar cane harvest , it has since evolved into a national festival rivaling New Orleans Mardis Gras and Carnival in Trinidad. Beginning in June it runs until the first Monday in August when it culminates in the finale, The Grand Kadooment.

For the entire two months life for many islanders is one big party with a major feature of crop over being the calypso competition. Calypso music uses syncopated rhythm and topical lyrics and gives its exponents a medium in which to satirise local politics and comment on the issues of the day, while taking nothing away from the general bacchanal. Calypso tents feature their cadre of calypsonians who perform biting social commentaries on the happenings of the past year, political exposés or rousing exhortations to wuk dah waistline and roll dat bumper. There are craft markets, food tents and stalls, street parties and cavalcades every week supplemented by daily events at Tim’s on the Highway, the new home of the Barbados Cropover Festival.

[edit] Reference

• Millington, Janice (1999). "Barbados", Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Vol. 2. Routledge, pp 813 - 821. ISBN 0-8153-1865-0. 

[edit] See also

• [http://www.bajanfuhlife.com/cropover.htm bajanfuhlife-Home of Crop Over
• Barbados Crop Over Festival