AS the sunburn, alcoholic fog and sonic overload peel into the distance, and the North and Grand Stands wait to be put asunder in their annual cycle of divorce and reconciliation, a sobering truth dawns again: a good Carnival is not all that much without a good, solid Lent.

Perhaps this sacred stretch of fasting, humility, piety, restraint and charity is more than a religious relic. Is it the bedrock upon which the success of our beloved festival is precariously perched? If Lent is less rigorous, then is Carnival also less potent? As a borderline atheist, I’m only asking for a friend.

Born ‘Carne Vale’, Carnival is the festival before the 40 days and nights of abstinence when the faithful literally bade ‘farewell to flesh’. In anticipation of the season of prayer and sacrifice, the ancients engaged the season with degrees of debauchery and indulgence that bordered on insane. Yet, as we evolve and Carnival breaks free of the pious womb in which it was conceived, one wonders whether this is an empowering evolution or an unplanned abortion.

Is the silent contract that says-‘Come Ash Wednesday, the music will fade, we will surrender our sequins for more sober attire, lock away the liquor, and cuss, covet and carry on a little less’-the actual fuel of the festival? Is this the trade-off that makes us jump higher, wine lower, jam harder, sing louder, wear less and lime juicier? Is Lent the enabler of our excesses?

The Lenten break also serves as a detoxifying spa treatment for the body, mind and spirit, and a respite for wallets under pressure since Christmas. Lent is a built-in balance that ensures we emerge on the other side, ready to do it all over again. This cleansing and reflective timeout may also be worth embracing as days of creation and questioning, a paradise for brainstorming, ideation and design.

So, dear readers, as we bid farewell to another season: • again, measure how this one compares to the last • converse about how commercialisation is restacking the deck • ponder how much more frivolous fluff promoters can stuff into all-inclusive packages, in their desperation to own and peddle Carnival’s euphoric essence • wonder how much more we’re willing to pay for any of it next year.

Consider this: is it a good, stiff Lent that we’re lacking?

Dave Williams
Maraval