Meaning
Jamaica's soca-driven street festival — a road march of feathered costumes, music trucks and dancing, held in the season around Easter. Distinct from the reggae and dancehall scene, Carnival is powered by soca and the wider Caribbean 'playing mas' tradition.
Examples
-
Wi a play mas fi Carnival dis year.
We're playing mas (in costume) for Carnival this year.
-
Di road march full a soca an feathers.
The road march is full of soca and feathers.
-
Carnival season tek ova di road.
Carnival season takes over the streets.
Origin
From the Latin-rooted 'carnival' (farewell to meat before Lent); the Jamaican event grew from the wider Caribbean carnival tradition, strongest in Trinidad.
How it’s used
'Playing mas' means parading in costume; 'bacchanal' names the revelry (and any drama that comes with it). Soca, not reggae, is Carnival's sound.