Trinidad and Tobago Culture and Traditions
Customs and traditions
According to Abbreviationfinder, Trinidad and Tobago’s mixed population is reflected in a diverse range of traditions and customs. It is not so common for Indotrinidadians to marry Afrotrinidadians. For most people, however, the rhythm of life is calm and “laid back”, time is often somewhat relative. Stress is not so common on the islands.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
Most islanders at the same time enjoy partying (to lime), preferably with plenty of food, drinks and music (see Culture). The capital Port of Spain is known for its nightlife. The most important party of all is the annual carnival, which takes place seven weeks before Easter. It has its roots in both West African music and mythology and in European masquerade parties and is considered the largest and best carnival in the entire region.
National sports cricket is extremely popular.
What you eat
The mixed population of Trinidad and Tobago is also reflected in the food, which includes flavors from India, Creole cuisine, China, the Middle East and Italy.
The breakfast often consists of fruits such as bananas, pineapple, oranges, guava and watermelon. For main course, you prefer to eat curry chicken, potatoes, shrimp, goat, duck and roti (a kind of thin bread roll with curry seasoned meat and vegetables for example). Mango, chickpeas and pumpkin are often served.
Local specialties are brown down (stewed chicken, beef or pork with vegetables and rice, figs, jams or plane beans, sweet potatoes or cassava pie), bake and shark (spicy shark roast with salad and strong sauces in a “dish”) as well as callalo(a kind of leaf, cooked together with pumpkin, okra and lots of spices).
The islands have a rich selection of fish (fly fishing, kingfish, char, bonito and shark) and seafood (crab, shrimp, conch, a kind of giant snail, and lobster).
For dessert, for example, you can get guava, sponge cake or ice cream with flavors like coconut, passion fruit and peanut and more.
In the drink route there are, among other things, coconut milk, local punch, ginger beer and domestically produced beer (such as Carib and Stag) as well as rum.
Holidays
In Trinidad and Tobago there are many holidays, both religious and secular. New Year’s Day is a holiday. On March 30, Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day celebrates the fact that a law in 1951 repealed a ban on the practice of a religion that blends Christianity with African customs. On May 30, the arrival of the Indians on Trindad (Indian Arrival Day) is celebrated. On August 1, Emancipation Day celebrated the abolition of slavery.
According to Countryaah, Independence Day is celebrated on August 31 and Republic Day on September 24.
In addition to Easter and Christmas, the feast of Christ’s body (Corpus Christi) is also celebrated, two months after Easter. Other religious holidays are the Hindu light festival diwali (dipvali) and id al-fitr, which ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Both fall on different dates each year.
Communications
Trinidad and Tobago have a well-developed road network that was refurbished in the early 2000s. But the congestion is great, even though the major roads are four-lane, there is often traffic congestion. Public transport is handled by buses.
There are two major ports in Trinidad, in Port of Spain and Point Lisas, and one in Scarborough in Tobago. In addition, there are also some specialized ports for oil exports. Between the two islands there are several boat connections every day. A former ferry link between Trinidad and Venezuela closed in 2014 as a result of the unrest in the South American country.
The islands each have an international airport with direct connections to Europe and countries in North and South America. Caribbean Airlines is the largest airline in the Caribbean and is based at Piarco Airport in Trinidad.
