This is a picture of Vincy Mas. Vincy Mas is the carnival that takes place in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is similar to Cropover in Barbados. Mas, which is short for masquerade, is an event that initially was a pre-lent affair introduced to us by the French. After years of changes, we have what is celebrated today, which includes African, Indigenous, and European traditions. Vincy Mas is a 12 day annual event, which ends with the carnival parade pictured above. Many different groups of people organize sections referred to as “bands”, and each band incorporates a colorful bathing suit style costume adorned with feathers and accompanied by a large headdress or back piece. The band Party Nation SVG is pictured above, as they followed a beautiful orange theme for Vincy Mas 2017. Though the costumes were once an opportunity for indigenous Caribs and escaped slaves to each express their own culture in a place of solidarity, now costumes come from a sense of individualistic creativity as usually a single person designs the costume for each band. As a first generation immigrant from St. Vincent, this festival is a very important event for me as well as other Vincentian diaspora as it allows a chance for us to go back to our home country yearly and celebrate our roots. Because majority of my family falls in the category of indigenous Carib, we value Vincy Mas as it helps us to remember our ancestors while celebrating the path they have created for us now.