Learn About Haiti: Culture!
Welcome to Haiti, Tiny Travelers!
This week, we have a chance to add a splash of color to Haiti’s Rara festival! This carnival, which is full of lively street processions, embodies the musical spirit and vibrant culture of Haiti.
There are many elements that make up the ritualistic musical reunion that is Rara: woodwind instruments called vaksen or banbou, the metal-made trumpet kòne, different types of drums, maracas, grags (also called güiras), flutes, and much more! Streets are enveloped in song and melodies as Rara bands, some featuring only women, make their way through neighborhoods (sometimes for miles!), while parade-goers and fans partake by way of singing and dancing.
The vaksin or banbou are especially popular during Rara — they are long hollow tubes that serve as horns, and, depending on their size, create a different sound! Their unique sound is essentially synonymous to Rara. The tanbou, a barrel drum stemming from Haiti, which is carried cross-body, is also very much present, and it is said that the older the drum…the better the sound!
For this week’s lesson you will color a scene from the Rara carnaval, including the following elements:
Vaksin
Kòne
Tanbou
Chapo pay
Zwazo
You might even feel the music coming through as you color this lovely scene from the parade!
