"Steel-bands"

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"Steel-bands"

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The Martinique Carnival In Martinique, Carnival involves a group of events taking place right across the island between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. Vladimira Dvorakova / age fotostock;

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The traditional Creole music bands consist of a clarinet, a trombone and a banjo to which are added drums and steel drums. In the countryside, they also include "ti-bois" and "chachas" (rudimentary maracas) and some backing singers who cover the voice of the singer. Ancient or modern, the dances (beguine, zouk and calypso) gather at the time of Carnival when almost all the population is suddenly taken by a frenzy of boisterous rhythms. Here more than anywhere else, festivals are a part of everyday life for the Martiniquais.