Bacchanal Final Draft

Raymond Rambarose

Professor Carrie Hall

ENG 1101

18 March 2019

 

Bacchanal

“Oh gosh! There is big bacchanal goin’ on in Trinidad” my grandmother says surprised and upset. I was in the living room sitting on the couch while she was sitting to my right. The room was dim with only the TV as lighting while playing the weekend news. My grandmother had just heard some frustrating news on the phone from my uncle in Trinidad. Not even a month has passed from the death of my grandmother’s sister and the other side of the family is already fighting for the property that my side was left with. This all sounds like the definition of bacchanal, but what is (a) bacchanal?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines bacchanal as “A wild and drunken celebration”. The word originates from the mid 16^th century. It derives from the Latin word bacchanalis, but is most popularly known to come from the god Bacchus; the Roman God of wine. To me and the Trinidadian community the word bacchanal primarily means both drama and to party. It is rarely used outside of the Trini community, yet it is all around us. From the streets to the school to the workplace to the household people are either in conflict or having a good time.

Trinidad is a Caribbean island that is located in the West Indies. The accent and slang of the Trinidadian people is like a language of its own. It flows up and down beautifully, but can also get a little annoying. Trini language has an English base, but is also made up of words and phrases from African, East Indian, Amerindian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and other languages. It is so complex to learn and sometimes understand for outsiders, but is very entertaining to search up the abundance of different words. One Trini word you should know is bacchanal because it is widely used throughout the country and among it’s people. So how does the Trini community use bacchanal?

Any drama or conflict in Trinidad is bacchanal. It is a fight between two or more people; either verbal, physical or even both. Picture two coolie guys drinking in a rum shop. One of them has a little too much to drink and confesses his love for the other guy’s sister. The guy gets mad and puts rell licks on the man. A Trini bystander will see this and go “wey, you see that bacchanal in di rum shop?”.

Bacchanal is used frequently with drama, but another substantial meaning is a big party, event or celebration. One specific bacchanal is the biggest celebration in Trinidad which is Carnival. Carnival is held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. People travel from all across the globe to party during carnival for day on end. They wear colorful costumes and parade through the streets while music blares and entertains the masses. The music that is most popular during this event includes calypso and soca.

Carnival originated through slaves who worked in French plantations. Back in the 18^th century French plantation owners threw masquerades and balls. Slaves were not allowed to participate so they created their own celebration called Canboulay. They would beat bamboo sticks together and later used frying pans, lids and oil barrels as drums in order to create what is now the popular music calypso which now uses steelpans. Canoublay has turned into Carnival over the years. The Spanish also celebrated Carnival while Trinidad was a Spanish colony. The Spanish thought of the word bacchanal as carnival, which they celebrated in Trinidad like the French. Carnival is known as the biggest Bacchanal in Trinidad up to today.

To sum it up, bacchanal is a significant word in Trinidad culture that has two big meanings. The meanings are both drama/conflict and events/celebrations. Bacchanal was originally a Latin word which originated from the Roman God of Wine; Bacchus. It is now regarded as a Trini word within the Caribbean. When people argue and fight there is big bacchanal going on. Carnival is one of the biggest bacchanals held annually. Bacchanal has two pretty opposing meanings yet they are used just as frequent.

 

Works Cited:

Meihy, José Carlos Sebe, and Jonathan Ritter. “Carnival.” Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, edited by Jay Kinsbruner and Erick D. Langer, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2008, pp. 130-132. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3078901175/GVRL?u=cuny_nytc&sid=GVRL&xid=f2a22da5.

“Bacchanal.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bacchanal.

“Trinidad Carnival: the Birth & Evolution.” Discover Trinidad & Tobago, 29 Apr. 2018, www.discovertnt.com/articles/Trinidad/The-Birth-Evolution-of-Trinidad-Carnival/109/3/32#axzz4ZRlw7vuI.

“Bacchanal | Definition of Bacchanal in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bacchanal.