Haiti’s carnival ferstivities start

iol news pic Haiti carnivalREUTERS

File image Haitian revellers participate in the first day of the carnival parade. REUTERS/Swoan Parker

Jacmel, Haiti – Haiti’s annual Carnival festivities have erupted in the streets of the coastal town of Jacmel.

Thousands of revelers danced and hopped in Jacmel’s streets Sunday afternoon as a parade of people wearing papier-mache masks and costumes to celebrate the pre-Lenten holiday passed through the streets.

The country’s Carnival celebration begins each year in this town on the southern coast revered for its artisans and artists.

The event is typically followed a week later by a big street party in Haiti’s capital. But the administration of President Michel Martelly has held carnival outside Port-au-Prince in an effort to spread resources and bring tourists to the countryside.

Carnival will take place next weekend in Haiti’s second largest city, in the north, Cap-Haitien. – Sapa-AP

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