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In 1503 almost 500 years ago, Christopher Columbus and the sailors accompanying him sighted a few lowlands full of turtles and named them as Las Tortugas or the island of turtles. The land with full of turtles looked as if the it was covered with stones. The present name Cayman Islands is given by Sir Francis Drake after the local word for crocodile. |
The small islands sighted by Columbus were the Cayman Brac and the Little Cayman. For a long period of time, the island served the sailors with its fresh turtle meat for their months of stay away in the sea. England claimed that the islands are an integral part of it when Charles II was occupying the throne.
Now apart from the local caymanians, people from 113 different countries live in the island nation comprising more than a third of the local population.
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The carnival, Batabano is launched by the Rotary Club in 1984. Batabano is the word given to the tracks left by turtles when they drag themselves onto the beach to nest in the sand. Batabano, held after Ash Wednesday, has become the main event of the entertainment calendar of the country. |
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The carnival portrays a cultural kaleidoscope of music and dance. The main event of the carnival is the carnival parade. Masquerading kindles the imagination of each participant of the parade and designers and choreographers spend days inventing new designs and tunes to present for the coming year.
Though the costumes have been inspired by the traditional Cayman marine environment, in the recent years the designs address the social issues as well. Drug abuse, the millennium bug and world’s refugee crisis are some of the social issues highlighted in the past.
The captivating music from the steel bands would make even a visitor jump in with the local crowd and enjoy the day! The floats and bands are more of a combined effort of the Communities and districts vying for the prizes. With enthusiasm and spirit, the people of the island join hands to make the carnival a memorable annual event.</
