Carnival = carne val = goodbye to meat. Enslaved people in the French (Catholic) Americas celebrated carnival on Mardi Gras, before Lent began. Carnival is not a traditional part of Jamaican culture. Italian carnival on Martedì Grasso predates the Euro discovery of the Americas.

Caribbean carnivals look decidedly different from European ones and the looks that people want to adopt clearly stem from West Indian carnival, however. Some interesting questions: 1. Has Jamaica culturally appropriated carnival from the islands that traditionally celebrate it?

2. Does the fact that many islands moved Carnival from its traditional date, specifically to attract the tourist dollar, mean foreigners should feel welcome to join in the fun and frolicking? 3. If Caribbean people are not complaining, should other people be complaining?

I'd love to know your views: @honeycombcookie, @aChildOf2Worlds, @JamaicanDreama, @MandyPreville, @KingstonJancro