BARBADOS CROP OVER FESTIVAL

Story and photos by Barb & Ron Kroll

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"R.P.B.! R.P.B.!" shouts the crowd. Waving their arms in the air and dancing in front of the grandstand to the pulsating rhythm of the steelband, thousands of people cry out for an encore.

R.P.B. stands for Red Plastic Bag, the name of one of Barbados' top calypsonians. On stage, like a god in a glittering metallic jacket, he mesmerizes his adoring audience with his satirical lyrics and catchy beat.

Harvest festival

Calypso is the heartbeat of Crop Over. Once used to express the attitudes of the African masses to the colonial authorities, today, this authentic folk music is still a mirror of social opinion.

Bands parade in front of National Stadium. Barbados.

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

Like calypso, Crop Over's roots stretch back to the days when the slaves celebrated the end of the sugar cane harvest. The earliest-known reference to a Crop Over Festival was made by the manager of Newton Plantation, writing, in 1798, to the estate's owner in England about "a dinner and sober dance for the slaves" after the harvest. Over the years, feasting, dancing and merry-making became associated with the end of the back-breaking work.

By 1940, the Crop Over Festival had died out, with other sources of employment putting an end to traditional plantation life. In 1974, however, the National Cultural Foundation revived celebrations as a tribute to the immense impact sugar had on Bajan history and as an acknowledgement of its role in the current economy.

Today, Crop Over is still an exciting time for Bajans, with numerous fairs and parties held around the island. It's also a time for renewing old friendships as thousands of emigrated Bajans return home.

Three-week party

Celebrations last from mid-July to early August. They kick off with the ceremonial delivery of the last canes to one of the plantation homes. The canes, transported on a brightly-decorated mule-drawn cart, are blessed, and thanks is given to the Almighty for a plentiful crop.

Music and food stalls fill the plantation yard and crowds gather to witness the crowning of the King and the Queen of the Crop, the champion cane-cutter and piler of the season.

The festival features something for everyone: music by the Royal Barbados Police Band, donkey-cart rides for the children, exhibits of arts and crafts, and stands selling sugar cakes and mauby (a bitter but refreshing brew made by boiling the bark of the mauby tree with vanilla and spices). Musicians, singers and dancers perform at a folk concert.

Celebrations are by no means confined to weekends. Throughout the week, everyone heads to the calypso tents and local nightclubs to listen to their favorite singers. (Check the local newspapers to find out where and when the tents will be pitched.)

Fun for kids

By the third weekend of the festival, excitement has reached a feverish pitch. The Junior Kadooment rivals the evening calypso competitions when it comes to attendance. But here, a family atmosphere pervades, as parents and relatives come out to cheer the youngsters. Clad in colorful costumes, decorated with makeup and sparkles, little tykes as young as two-years-old strut across the stage of the National Stadium.

Girl in pink costume. Junior Kadooment. Barbados Crop Over.

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

The children wait like horses behind a gate, shifting from foot to foot, unable to conceal their excitement and eagerness to show off their costumes: Jack & Jill, Little Bo-Peep, the Pied-Piper and a hundred different childhood fantasies – all products, no doubt, of many hours of eyestrain and sore thumbs.

By the fourth and final weekend, excitement has reached a crescendo. Many Bajans consider Friday's Pic-o-de-Crop Finals as the highlight of Crop Over, for it is here that the finalists battle for the coveted title of Party Monarch. A lot more than popularity is at stake; the winner also receives a substantial cash prize.

There are actually two main calypso competitions during Crop Over. Pic-o-de-Crop is the formal event, judged by experts according to specified categories, such as lyrics, melody and presentation. The Road March or Tune-of-the-Crop, on the other hand, is an event judged by the local people on the final day. The tune played most frequently by the bands, during the Grand Kadooment parade, wins the award. Occasionally, the same song wins both competitions.

Street fair

On the final Saturday, Spring Garden Highway closes to traffic for the Bridgetown Market. Stands spring up, selling fish cakes, barbecued chicken and fruit cake. Drink stalls outnumber food stands two to one. Some stock full bars; others sell Banks beer, cane juice and mauby.

Local organizations, such as the Lion's Club, operate stands to earn money for their favorite charities. Based on the signs, however, the vast majority are run by individuals such as Norma's Pub and Hope's Booze n'Grub. The food is good, the prices are reasonable and the sanitation standards are high enough that you don't have to worry about what you eat.

You name it, you can buy it at the Bridgetown Market: handwoven baskets, colorful Rastafarian jewelry, wood carvings, dried balloon-shaped hedgehog fish and even ladies' panties. The most popular vendor is the man with the machete who hacks open large green coconuts so purchasers can quench their thirst.

A potpourri of performing arts

On the following day, the crowds make their way to the National Stadium for Cohobblopot. Dance, drama, calypso, gospel, folk and comedy are all stirred together, producing a cultural stew that represents the best in Bajan talent.

It's here that one is able to get a sneak preview of what's in store for the Grand Kadooment on Monday. The highlight of the evening is the costume competition between the kings and queens of each band. In selecting a winner, judges look for originality, craftsmanship, visual impact and presentation. Prizes are awarded with as much fanfare as the crowning of Miss America.

Stilt dancers. Grand Kadooment. Barbados Crop Over.

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

One year, the queen was a glittering gold and yellow bird with a towering headpiece of ostrich plumes, depicting The Flight of the Phoenix. The winning king's costume was even more breathtaking. The Enchanted Sea Serpent carried two pairs of blue wings, a 10.7 metre-long tail, an iridescent crown and a dragon-like head, decorated with blue and silver sequins. The runners-up were also dazzling creations of sparkles, feathers and chiffon.

The final fling

In spite of its splendor, Cohobblopot is only a preliminary to the Grand Kadooment. Because it's held on a Monday, the day is a national holiday in Barbados. Thousands of people line the route joining the National Stadium to Spring Garden Highway. Thousands more fill the stadium to watch revelers dance before the judges.

There are many other prizes, but winning is secondary to having fun. Highway "jamming" is the name of the game. Everyone is in a party mood, helped, no doubt, by "refreshments." But no one is inebriated.

In fact, several of the bands depict social issues. One band, dressed in a traffic theme, carries messages of "Buckle Up" and "Don't Drink and Drive." Another one portrays the environmental dangers of burning sugar cane. A third group carries blown-up condoms and placards reading "Be Careful — AIDS is a Deadly Game."

Special effects

For the most part, though, the costumes are an explosion of color, highlighted with fog, colored smoke and white doves. Flag throwers lead each band and dancers swirl their skirts, while three-meter-high stiltmen tower over the sea of gyrating masqueraders.

While Crop Over is not put on specifically for tourists, the islanders certainly welcome visitors to join their celebrations. Rest up before going, because, once you arrive, partying leaves little time for sleep.

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TRAVEL INFORMATION

Barbados Tourism Authority: www.barbados.org

Crop Over Festival: www.cropoverfestival.bb

More things to do in Barbados:

Romantic Barbados