Mas and more mas

THERE were bikinis, there were beads, there were feathers and then there was K2K Alliance and Partners with their portrayal of Through Stained Glass Windows.

Yesterday morning the medium band crossed the Queen’s Park Savannah stage with each section displaying miles of sheer fabric with a variety of stained glass patterns, some possibly taken from churches. The fabric was draped differently with some attached as wings under the arms, some wings attached to the back, and some that resembled a flipped over umbrella above masqueraders heads.

The women wore full bathing suits with long sleeves, long black or printed tights under robes, as well as dresses or skirts of various styles including full, mermaid, and flared. Even the men wore something other than board shorts or speedos – long pants in black or the colour of the section.

Sections included Amare (Love), Fidem (Faith), Spero (Hope), and Lux (Light). The masqueraders in each section seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly, making their fabric flow while wining and dancing to the music. Some of the bikini and feather bands looked good as well. Ronnie and Caro and Paparazzi Carnival had a good showing.

The strong breeze gave Ronnie and Caro’s first two individual masqueraders some trouble and they had to fight the wind to move. However, as people filled the stage the section leaders of the well-organised band portrayed the sections of Let’s Go Tobago well with the other masqueraders following in the sections’ colours.

Paparazzi Carnival portrayed La Belle Epoque – A Beautiful Era. The large band had several sections including Victoire, Joir De Vivre, Champagne and Lustre, and while most of the costumes were similar but in different colours, there were a few elements that made it stand out. For example, one section had tights similar to chaps while another had gold-coloured plastic wings instead of the usual feathers or cloth.

Traditional mas was well-represented as well. Mini band 2001 Jab Molassie brought the blue devils complete with a wolf mask, tin pans and fire breathing devils.