How has each individual culture affected the whole island?
The array of societies that immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago helped to heavily shape the social culture of the islands. One of the most important traditions of the Trinidadians is the Carnival, which was introduced by the French. Originally intended for upper class citizens, Carnival was a way to show off wealth and power to others. After slavery was abolished the free slaves took Carnival into their own hands, twisting it into a celebration that the upper class viewed as morally questionable (Scher). Thanks to that, Carnival has become what it is today, from the food to the costumes. Many religious beliefs were also introduced to the culture and as a result, many holidays such as Divali and Corpus Christi are nationally recognized and celebrated. Similar to Carnival, the Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago celebrated Pagwah, which involved lots of festive singing and dancing, as well as Abeer, which involves spraying colored water onto people (Stoute).
Image from: http://www.blog.easycaribbeanshop.com/image/Trinidad-Carnival.jpg
Image from: http://www.blog.easycaribbeanshop.com/image/Trinidad-Carnival.jpg
