Easter in Trinidad and Tobago

The true genesis of Easter customs may have been lost in time but like a lot of Christian rituals, has origins in Pre- Christian religions and relates to the recognition of spring which has long been associated to a season of re-birth. The name Easter came from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring “Eastre”. Like most of the customs of Trinidad and Tobago Easter came from the influences of former inhabitants especially the British.  

People celebrate Easter according to their religious beliefs but here in the islands almost everyone celebrates every occasion (especially when there is a national holiday involved ) and one may sometimes hear the question jokingly “How can a rabbit have eggs and what does it have to do with Easter?” The Easter Bunny, previously called the Easter Hare, came to be associated since rabbits and hares multiply rapidly and were seen as a spirit of fertility. Romans believed that eggs were ‘a symbol of life’ and Christians considered it to be ‘the seed of life’ thus symbolic of the resurrection.  Children at the time believed that the hares laid eggs in the grass thus the evolution of the Easter egg practices.

Trinidad and Tobago has its own additions that make Easter in the islands unique. It would not be Easter without ‘mad-bulls’, ‘chikeechong’, ‘dinky’ or ‘common’ kites being flown. Some people believe that if an egg is cracked and the egg-white dropped into a glass of water  before

sunrise on Good Friday then the egg will take the shape of a church. ‘Bobolees’ effigies, similar to the Guy Fawkes effigy, are created from old clothing and traditionally stuffed with dried banana leaves or dried grass. Good Friday is always a favourite day because it is the day for beating the ‘Bobolee’ or Judas which are sometimes given names of whoever the villages or communities ‘have off’ at the time. Easter bonnet shows are still hosted, especially for children. The Easter parades are reminiscent of ladies dressing up for church services and then promenading about to show off their gaudy outfits. Hot cross buns are still an Easter staple and are not reserved for Easter Sunday alone.

Horse Racing has always been a part of Easter in the islands with races at Queen’s Park

Savannah, Union Park and Santa Rosa racetracks but now occurs only at Santa Rosa. Tobago has adopted its own unique races as a response to the horse racing in Trinidad. Goat and crab racing are uniquely Tobagonian and is better attended than the horse races. Goats are specially trained for competition and serious betting takes place. Crab racing is not as serious and the crabs more likely than not ends up in a pot after the races.