Every Sunday, Jacmel bursts into coloration and sound as pre-Carnival celebrations take over the streets, main as much as the grand festivities on Feb. 23.
JACMEL— One month earlier than Jacmel’s official Carnival on Feb. 23, the town is already buzzing with vibrant pre-Carnival festivities each Sunday. Every week, masqueraders in elaborate masks, energetic foot bands, and jubilant revelers flood the streets, reworking the coastal city right into a kaleidoscope of coloration, music, and motion.
These weekly celebrations, wealthy in creativity and cultural pleasure, are a prelude to the primary occasion, the place Jacmel’s legendary artistry will take middle stage. As anticipation builds, 1000’s are anticipated to assemble alongside Barranquilla Avenue for the end result of this beloved custom.
Captured by means of the lens of The Haitian Occasions, these photographs showcase the electrifying ambiance and creative mastery that outline Jacmel’s Carnival.
A performer dressed as Zèl Maturin, Creole for “Maturin Wings,” parades alongside Barranquilla Avenue throughout the third week of pre-Carnival festivities in Jacmel on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Picture by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Occasions. Younger males placed on their carnival costumes, adorned with ornamental fabric necklaces that symbolize tongues round their necks. This character is named Lang Moun Jacmel, Creole for “Tongues of the Jacmel Individuals.” The scene takes place in Jacmel on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Picture by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Occasions. A vigorous crowd fills Barranquilla Avenue, soaking within the vibrant pre-Carnival ambiance in Jacmel, Southeast Haiti, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Picture by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Occasions.Males sporting exaggerated ‘Chaloska’ masks—portraying an notorious normal from Haiti’s historical past—parade down Barranquilla Avenue in Jacmel throughout the third pre-Carnival day on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Picture by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Occasions.Members of Explosion Dance Firm carry out on Barranquilla Avenue in Jacmel throughout the official launch of Jacmel Carnival on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. Picture by Rocher Ketel for The Haitian Occasions.
