Party on the Island of Flowers…Martinique
First discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, he didn’t land on the island of Martinique until his fourth trip to the New World. The island was not colonized until almost 50 years later when a small group of French settlers started its first colony. The island has been a French possession ever since.
The island’s name Martinique, is a derivative of the native word for the island of flowers.
Napoleon’s Josephine, the daughter of a Martinique planter, was born on the island. And the 1944 classic Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall film (where the two first met and started their lifelong love affair) To Have and Have Not, takes place in Martinique’s largest city, Fort-de-France.
In the season of Carnaval celebrations, The Embassy of France is hosting their version - a Martinique Caribbean Carnaval costume party.
The event includes a French and Creole buffet, wine, sangria and a rum cocktail bar for sampling some of Martinique’s finer rums. There will also be a silent auction with over 50 items and a raffle to win a trip to the island. And wear your Carnaval best, as the best costumes will be awarded great prizes.
Martinique Caribbean Carnaval
La Maison Francaise - Embassy of France
4010 Reservoir Road, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Tickets - $90.00 - available online
Dates & Time – Saturday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.
Attire - Carnaval costumes.
Nearest Metro subway station - Farragut West – Blue and Orange lines, and then a 15-minute bus ride on the D6 bus. It’s probably best to take a cab to this event.
Parking - The embassy has limited parking, street parking also available.
Photo credits: flickr
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2 Comments
Martinque was also the scene for many works of Paul Gauguin, the French Post-Impressionist. If memory serves, his time on the “Island of Flowers” had a great impact on his work, taking it to a new level.
I knew he spent time on Tahiti and around French Polynesia painting primitive native scenes late rin his life, but did not know he spent time on Martinique as well.
Thnaks!!!