So, the questions been asked. What's carnival and where did it begin and why? Here, I answer those questions with a little history lesson 🔥 What Is Carnival? Carnival is one of the most vibrant cultural celebrations in the world — a blend of history, survival, resistance, creativity, and pure joy. It is more than costumes and fetes; it’s a spiritual and cultural expression passed down for generations. 🌍 Where Carnival Started Carnival’s deepest roots come from West African traditions mixed with European colonial influences during the transatlantic slave era. The modern Caribbean Carnival we know today began in Trinidad & Tobago in the (Early 1800s) - French colonizers brought masquerade balls. - Enslaved Africans were banned from participating — so they created their own version outside the estates. - They used drumming, chanting, stick-fighting, storytelling, and masquerade to preserve ancestral identity. - After emancipation in 1838, Carnival exploded into the streets as a symbol of freedom. Other islands soon developed their own forms, including: - 🇧🇧 Barbados Crop Over - 🇯🇲 Jamaica Carnival - 🇧🇱 St. Lucia Carnival - 🇬🇩 Grenada Spice Mas - 🇻🇨 Vincy Mas - 🇹🇹 Trinidad Carnival (the global standard) Carnival later spread into North America and Europe: - 🇺🇸 Miami Carnival - 🇺🇸 Atlanta Carnival - 🇺🇸 Houston Carnival - 🇨🇦 Toronto Caribana - 🇬🇧 Notting Hill Carnival - 🇯🇵 Japan Carnival 🎭 Why Carnival Was Created Carnival was born from: 1. Resistance A way for enslaved Africans to express identity when their cultures were banned. 2. Freedom After emancipation, Carnival became a celebration of liberation. 3. Storytelling Mas bands depict themes about politics, folklore, beauty, ancestry, and fantasy. 4. Community Carnival unites people of all ages, cultures, and countries in one rhythm. 🌈 What Carnival Represents Today Today’s Carnival is a global movement. It represents: - Freedom of expression - Body positivity + confidence - Cultural pride - Unity across countries - Creativity and artistry - Music, dance, and pure joy

I'm happy to be here. I'm so much happier being a member of the community. I'm looking forward to get a welcome message in my DM soon from the admin

Hey beautiful creatives! I am Miss Mae and I’m so excited to welcome you to the FIRST community dedicated to teaching Carnival costume design. Are you a beginner? I was once myself and since I started making my own costumes back in 2014, I've gone on to make countless costumes for avid carnival goers. I will share my biggest mistakes and my wins. And the wonderful thing about it all is that there's still so much to learn for even myself. Here at the Carnival Costume Skool, we will take this carnival journey together. Learn together and build together. In my upcoming post, I will share my latest costume and what I learned from the process. And take you back to costumes I designed and built in previous years. Introduce yourself below: - Where are you from? - Have you ever made a costume before? - What do you want to learn?

🎭 Top 5 Tools Every Beginner Mas Maker Needs Welcome to the world of Carnival costume building ! If you’re just getting started, here are the core essentials every beginner should have in their toolkit: 1. Wire Cutters For trimming aluminum wire used in backpacks, wings, collars, and headpieces. Tip: Flush-cut cutters make cleaner edges. 2. Needle-Nose Pliers Helps you bend, shape, and twist wire with control. Tip: Go for pliers with comfortable rubber grips. 3. Fabric Scissors For cutting trims, elastic, appliqués, and fabrics. Tip: Keep one pair ONLY for fabric to stay sharp. 4. Gem Glue / Industrial Adhesive Essential for attaching gems, appliqués, and detailed embellishments. Tip: Use Gem-Tac for fabric + E6000 for heavy gems. 5. Hot Glue Gun (High-Temp) Perfect for feather layering, fast fixes, and lightweight embellishing. Tip: High-temp glue sticks hold better and last longer. Drop a comment below if you already have these items! 🎭✨ If you don't have these items, comment below for details on where you can get these before we begin our first build