He himself has said, “You must be holy, for I am holy.” And remember that your heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge you with perfect justice for everything you do; so act in reverent fear of him from now on until you get to heaven. God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver as you very well know. But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
1 Peter 1:16-19 (TLB)
When you are born again believer in Jesus Christ, the Hoy Spirit comes and lives in you and you are a new creation in Christ, old things have passed away behold all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). With this new being and life, your works now must reflect that of this new creation, being more Christ-like. Remember you are not saved by works but it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The works are a result of being saved and becoming a new creation, sanctified, holy and set apart for good works. 2 Timothy 2:21 states that those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
1 Peter 1 that was highlighted at the beginning, clearly shows us how we as believers are to conduct ourselves. It is abundantly clear in society today that the vast majority of people have no fear of God. We also fail to understand what true repentance is.
The reverential fear of God leads you to life, wisdom and blessings and it will make you follow and obey God. Matthew 10:28, states to do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. To fear the Lord is to hate evil for He hates pride, arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech (Proverbs 8:13).
With all of this said and in mind how did Trinidad Carnival really come about?
(The following research was done with the help of AI)
Fernando Ortiz and the Theory of Transculturation
Using Cuban scholar Fernando Ortiz’s concept of transculturation (1940)—how Caribbean cultures violently clashed to produce new forms—this research reveals Trinidad Carnival as multiple pagan spiritual systems fused together, disguised behind Christian labels. This framework is reinforced by Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the “carnivalesque,” which argues that Carnival is not mere entertainment but a deliberately structured “second life of the people” in which social hierarchies are suspended, the sacred is profaned, and blasphemy is ritualised—a secular academic framework that inadvertently validates the Christian critique that Carnival is a ritualised subversion of divine order. Carnival traces directly to the Roman Saturnalia (social inversion, masking, drunkenness, sexual licence), Lupercalia (fertility rites), and Greek Dionysia (ecstatic worship of Dionysus).
Key Origins of the Ritual
1. French Colonial Influence (Late 18th Century): French settlers brought Mardi Gras—itself evil, a direct descendant of Saturnalia—to Trinidad under the Cedula of Population (1783).
2. African Cultural Resistance & Canboulay: Enslaved Africans, forbidden from elite balls, created parallel celebrations. After emancipation (1834), they transformed the French tradition into Canboulay (“burnt cane”)—drumming, stick-fighting, and re-enacting bondage and liberation, rooted in Yoruba/Fon/Kongolese spirit worship.
3. The “Pagan” Interpretation: Colonial authorities viewed these as “pagan” due to the intense African drumming, loud chants, and masks that allowed for total social inversion, which threatened their order. The British outlawed drumming, masquerading, and African-derived religions—recognizing these as religious practices, not mere culture.
4. Reversal Rituals (Ole Mas): Enslaved people mocked the planter class while using African masks to honor spirits—the direct spiritual descendant of Saturnalia’s “King of Misrule.”
5. J’Ouvert (Daybreak): From the Canboulay Riots of 1881. Bodies covered in mud, oil, paint—a link to the nègres jardins (garden slaves) and a pre-dawn ritual scholars call a “religious experience.”
6. Traditional Characters: Jab Molassi (participants dress as Satan), Midnight Robber (West African griot tradition), Moko Jumbie (spirit figure bridging earthly and spirit worlds)—African spiritual beliefs merged with European characters.
The Music and Dance
The music and dance of Carnival are not secular entertainment—they are direct continuations of these rituals. Calypso descended from the West African griot (priest-storyteller) and Canboulay spirit-invocation chanting. The drumming was designed to summon orishas and induce spirit possession; the steelpan was born only because the British banned the ritual drums. Soca blends those African rhythms with Hindu devotional music. The wining and frenetic bodily movement mirror the abandon of spirit possession ceremonies—the ritual in a modern costume.
The Deception
When the enslaved Africans were introduced to Christianity in Trinidad, they did not truly convert—they adapted. Their attachment to their ancestral gods was so deep that rather than abandon them, they disguised their deities behind Catholic saints, using Christian worship as a cover while maintaining their true spiritual allegiance to the orishas in secret. Shango (thunder) became St. John; Ogun (war) became St. Michael; Oshun (water) became St. Philomena.
As the Comboni missionaries confirmed: the enslaved “adopted Christian rituals and formulas, which however were in reality addressed to their African gods.” Indian labourers (1840s) added Phagwa/Holi—the “Indian Carnival”—rooted in worship of Kamadeva, the Hindu god of lust (Holi is also called Kamotsava, “festival of the god of lust”). The Islamic Hosay(Muharram) processions added another non-Christian layer—elaborate street processions with tassa drumming that fed directly into Carnival culture, and where the Yoruba god Osain was syncretised with the Muslim saint Hossein.
These African spiritual traditions are not vague folk beliefs. Obeah and Shango are organised religious systems with trained priests, initiation ceremonies, animal sacrifice, and structured rituals of spirit possession where devotees are “mounted” by orishas. The British criminalised these practices precisely because they recognised them as active spiritual systems opposed to Christianity. Carnival emerged from and continues to carry the DNA of these systems.
From Old Mas to Pretty Mas
Modern “Pretty Mas”—bikini-and-beads costumes, wine culture, sexualised display—has replaced the explicitly spiritual Old Mas characters (Jab Jab, Bookman, Moko Jumbie). This is not secularisation but a further layer of deception. The same Saturnalian inversion, Dionysian abandon, ritual calendar, and drumming patterns remain—but the pagan origins are now harder to see, making it easier for Christians to participate without recognising what they are participating in.
2026 — The Normalisation of Hedonism: In February 2026, one of Trinidad’s most popular mas bands included adult sex toys in goodie bags for female masqueraders. A senior church leader rightly condemned this as “hedonism.” The band’s CEO defended it as “on brand.” This is not an aberration but the logical conclusion of Pretty Mas—once spiritual imagery was stripped away, the normalisation of increasingly extreme sexual content became inevitable.
Fruit of the Festival (Matthew 7:16): “You will know them by their fruits.” The sociological fruit of Carnival includes documented spikes in crime, sexual assault, and robbery during the season. The economic fruit is the commodification of the human body—women paying thousands for bikini costumes to display their bodies, serving Mammon as much as any pagan deity. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
The Biblical Case Against Carnival
1. The Prohibition Against Adopting Pagan Worship Practices: Deuteronomy 12:30–31 states: “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.” God’s instruction is explicit: even if one repackages pagan practices with Christian labels, the act of adopting how pagans worshipped their gods is forbidden. Carnival’s entire structure—from Saturnalia through African orisha worship—represents exactly this kind of adoption.
2. The Warning Against Syncretism and Idolatry: 1 Corinthians 10:20–21: “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too.” Paul warned that behind pagan worship—even when participants don’t understand the spiritual reality—stand demonic powers. The syncretism where Christian saints masked African deities is precisely the spiritual double-dealing Paul condemned.
3. The Call to Separate from Worldly Practices: 2 Corinthians 6:17: “Come out from them and be separate.” Jeremiah 10:2: “Learn not the way of the heathen.” Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” The biblical mandate is clear: Christians are called to separate themselves from practices rooted in the worship of other gods, not to participate in them under a new name.
4. The Fruit of the Flesh vs. the Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:19–21 lists the “works of the flesh” as including sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, and orgies. The very activities that define Carnival’s Saturnalian heritage—excess, licence, drunkenness, sexual display, and the celebration of disorder—are named explicitly by Paul as antithetical to the life of a Christian.
5. The Biblical Condemnation of Revelry: The Bible defines revelry as excessive, boisterous, and immoral partying—condemned as a “work of the flesh” that hinders inheriting the kingdom of God. Carnival is organised revelry. Scripture addresses this repeatedly:
Romans 13:13–14 — “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality.” Carnival is the precise opposite of this command.
1 Peter 4:3–4 — “The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” Peter speaks directly to the social pressure Christians face to participate in pagan revelry—and warns that the time for such things is past. “Lawless idolatry” precisely describes the syncretised pagan worship that produced Carnival.
Exodus 32:6, 19, 25 — The golden calf: the Israelites “sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” before an idol, and Moses found them “unrestrained.” This is the biblical template for pagan revelry—idolatry, loss of self-control, and divine judgement. The parallels with Carnival—feasting, drinking, dancing, and the complete abandonment of restraint—are unmistakable.
2 Peter 2:13 — “They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime.” Daytime revelry is identified as a mark of false teachers and spiritual corruption—speaking directly to Carnival Monday and Tuesday, when participants revel openly in the streets.
Isaiah 5:11–12 — “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink… They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord.” This reads as a direct prophetic description of the Carnival experience: the early-morning J’Ouvert drinking, the all-day music trucks, the sustained intoxication, and the total disregard for God in the midst of it all.
6. You Cannot Serve Two Masters: Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters.” This principle, spoken by Christ Himself, strikes at the foundation of the syncretism that produced Carnival. The enslaved who disguised Shango behind St. John were serving two masters. The modern Christian who attends church on Sunday and wines on the road on Carnival Monday is serving two masters. Christ’s words leave no room for compromise: a choice must be made.
7. Do Not Love the World: 1 John 2:15–17: “Do not love the world or the things in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” John’s three categories describe Carnival precisely: the sensual abandon and sexual display (desires of the flesh), the visual spectacle of costumes and pageantry (desires of the eyes), and the boasting, status-seeking, and competitive display (pride of life).
8. Friendship with the World Is Enmity with God: James 4:4: “You adulterous people! Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” James uses the language of spiritual adultery—echoing the Old Testament prophets who compared Israel’s idolatry to an unfaithful wife. The disguising of African gods behind Christian saints, and the modern Christian’s embrace of a pagan-rooted celebration, constitute spiritual adultery. To participate is to make oneself an enemy of God.
9. Expose the Works of Darkness: Ephesians 5:11–12: “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Paul’s command is twofold: not only avoid but actively expose. The pagan rituals, orisha worship, spirit possession, and demonic imagery concealed behind the language of culture and national identity are the “unfruitful works of darkness” that Scripture demands be brought to light.
10. Children of Light vs. Children of Darkness: 1 Thessalonians 5:5–8: “You are all children of light… let us be sober.” Paul contrasts children of light (sober, awake) with children of darkness (drunk at night). J’Ouvert—the pre-dawn ritual beginning in literal darkness, fuelled by intoxication—is the precise inversion of this command. The call to sobriety stands in absolute opposition to Carnival’s culture of intoxication.
11. Satan Masquerades as an Angel of Light: 2 Corinthians 11:14: “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” The word Paul uses is masquerade—and Carnival is, by definition, a masquerade. Pagan practices disguised as culture, African gods disguised behind saints, Saturnalian revelry disguised as tradition, spirit-invoking drumming disguised as entertainment—the entire history of Carnival is a history of spiritual masquerade, the very method Paul attributes to Satan himself.
12. Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge: Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” The vast majority of Christians who participate in Carnival do so without any knowledge of its spiritual roots—the Saturnalia, the orisha worship, the spirit invocation, the Hindu deity veneration. They participate because they were raised in it, because “everyone does it.” But ignorance does not provide spiritual protection. God’s people are destroyed not because they choose darkness, but because they lack the knowledge to recognise it.
13. Your Body Is a Temple: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit… honour God with your bodies.” The covering of the body in mud and oil in J’Ouvert (descended from African purification rites and spirit-possession ceremonies), the wining and grinding against strangers, the near-nudity of Pretty Mas, the sustained intoxication that surrenders bodily control—all treat the body as an instrument of revelry rather than a temple of the Holy Spirit. To participate is to take a body purchased by the blood of Christ and submit it to rituals whose spiritual DNA traces back to orisha worship and the veneration of pagan gods.
The Three Theological Conflicts
The Identity Conflict: Carnival is a festival of masks; 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls believers to put on the New Man in Christ—not a mask. The entire history of Carnival is one of masking: African gods masked behind saints, pagan rituals masked as culture, spiritual rebellion masked as entertainment.
The Stewardship Conflict: Carnival celebrates the total abandonment of restraint; Galatians 5:22–23 lists the Fruit of the Spirit as including self-control—the very virtue Carnival systematically destroys.
The Association Conflict: 1 Corinthians 10:20–21 draws the sharpest line: the Table of Demons versus the Table of the Lord. A Christian cannot sit at both.
Addressing the “Resistance” Argument
Many scholars argue that Carnival was a tool for social justice and liberation. The courage of the enslaved in preserving their cultural identity under oppression should not be dismissed. However, while the sociological outcome was liberation from earthly masters, the spiritual vehicle of that resistance—the preservation of orisha worship, the invocation of pagan spirits, the syncretism of African deities with Catholic saints—bound participants to pagan spiritual systems rather than the liberating truth of the Gospel. Colossians 2:8 warns against being taken captive by “hollow and deceptive philosophy, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Social justice achieved through pagan ritual is spiritual captivity disguised as liberation.
The visual evidence is undeniable: if Carnival were truly just culture, why do the bands themselves fill their advertisements and costumes with mermaids representing water spirits, demons, serpents, skulls, and the imagery of spirit possession? The spirits are not buried in history—they are on the flyers, advertisements, the costumes, and so on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Trinidad Carnival therefore is a transcultured product carrying the spiritual DNA of European paganism, West African orisha worship, Hindu deity veneration, and Islamic mysticism. Its music originated in spirit invocation. Its characters embody devils, spirits, and mockery of divine order. Its rituals mirror pagan purification rites and ancestor worship. These same pagan roots underpin Carnival celebrations from Rio to Mardi Gras, Venice to Notting Hill, Barbados to Toronto, and beyond. For Christians who seek to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), the historical evidence demands honest reckoning with what Carnival truly is and where it truly comes from.
end of research
What is True Repentance?
The Bible says they were destroyed by their lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Those who participate in this “festival” because of their lack of knowledge may very well have to face destruction because of it. Many Christians think they could participate in Carnival and then ask God for forgiveness right after and then they would be in good standing with God but that’s not fully true.
Only if you are truly repentant are you forgiven of your sins. Repentance is a main subject that needs to be understood. Repentance in the Bible combines the Hebrew concept of physically turning back from sin (shuv) with the Greek concept of a mental, inward change of mind (metanoeō), together signifying a total “180-degree” turn toward God. It is not just remorse, but a transformative action involving a shift in perspective, purpose, and behavior. Jesus mentioned twice in Luke 13 that if you don’t truly repent, you shall perish there’s no question about it.
According to Charles Finney, true repentance is a permanent change of character and conduct it is so deep and fundamental that the man never changes back again. The love of sin is totally abandoned. False repentance has occurred where the love of sin is still present, when you are grieved because you have to withdraw from so many things you love and when you continually relapse on old sins. A true convert’s most obsessive sins before conversion are the furthest from them now. If you are willing to give up sin, you are willing to promise to do it and willing to have it known that you have done it. But if you resist conviction and still love your sins, all your convictions will not help you. They will only sink you deeper in hell for resisting them.
Jesus is the discerner of hearts He knows if you are truly repentant or not. You cannot sin now and think if you just say sorry whilst knowing you are going to do that sin again next week, that you are automatically forgiven. You cannot ask God for forgiveness for participating in and for your conduct during Carnival knowing fully well you enjoyed it and will do so again the next year. It doesn’t work that way.
If you are truly repentant and totally turn away from the sin not meaning to do it again then you are forgiven. We all make mistakes and we may falter unintentionally but the issue is when you continue in sin intentionally. Romans 6 particularly verses 1-2 and 15 talks about continuing in sin (a lifestyle pattern) versus the reality that believers still struggle with sin but are no longer slaves to it therefore are not supposed to continue to walk in it.
The grace discussed in Romans 6 isn’t permission to keep sinning deliberately, but power to break free from sin’s dominion. Romans 6 :23 states how serious sin is: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus came so that we may be free from the bondage of sin, if the son sets us free, free we are indeed (John 8:36).
Walk In The Spirit
Galatians 5:16-21 distinguishes between walking in the Spirit versus practicing the works of the flesh (the word “practice” implies ongoing, habitual sin). Verses 16-17 shows us we ought to walk by the Spirit so that we won’t gratify the desires of the flesh for the flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with one another so that we are not to do whatever we want.
Verses 19-21 bring a sobering reality stating: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” I implore you if you have taken part in Carnival to repent.
Set Apart and Sanctified
We have been so tolerant and accepting of other religions to a point where it has infiltrated into the church. Believers in Jesus Christ are supposed to be consecrated, sanctified and separated from the world and darkness. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 commands believers not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
Paul asks, “What communion hath light with darkness?” and “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” He concludes with: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing”.
In 1 Corinthians 10:14, 20-21 Paul explicitly says, “Flee from idolatry” and warns that “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.” He concludes that one cannot partake in both the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
A Call Back To Holiness
Ephesians 5:11 states to, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them”. This scripture sums up the purpose of this writing. Knowledge alone is not enough. Romans 8 tells us there is a war between the flesh and the spirit—to live according to the flesh leads to death, but to live according to the Spirit leads to peace and life.
Many accept Jesus but never truly turn their will to God—and because of that, they are not truly saved. It is God’s goodness that leads you to repentance (Romans 2:4) and nothing can separate us from His love. To learn more, about the steps to take back to holiness and how to nurture your light, click here: A Call Back to Holiness — Absolute Surrender: Nurturing Your Light at absolutetruth7.com/a-call-back-to-holiness-absolute-surrender-nurturing-your-light
A Call to Spiritual Leadership: To every Pastor, Bishop, Elder, and spiritual leader—your congregations are watching. Your communities are waiting. If you cannot stand up and call out what is clearly wrong, then what are you standing for? The Church cannot afford to be silent while the culture gets louder. The Church is supposed to lead, direct, and guide the community. We are supposed to influence the culture of the world with Kingdom culture—not the other way around.
God is moving in the earth, and He wants to move in Trinidad but He can only move in and through the church, the body of Christ, but we are to turn away from sin and come back to Him, back to holiness and righteousness. Let us not miss this opportunity the Lord has set before us. The decision for this change must happen first within us individually and then we can come together and stand as His body. What will you choose this day to stand up for, the Kingdom of Jesus and His light or Satan and His darkness?
REFERENCES
Finney, C. G. (n.d.). True and false conversion. TRUE AND FALSE CONVERSION by Charles G. Finney. https://www.gospeltruth.net/1837LTPC/ltpc01_tandf_conversion.htm
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Vertovec, Steven. “Ethnic Distance and Religious Convergence: Shango, Spiritual Baptist, and Kali Mai Traditions in Trinidad.” Social Compass 45:2 (1998).
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Palmé, Stephan, ed. Fernando Ortiz: Caribbean and Mediterranean Counterpoints. HAU Books.
Arnedo-Gómez, Miguel. “Fernando Ortiz’s Transculturation: Applied Anthropology, Acculturation, and Mestizaje.” The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology 27 (2022): 123–145.
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“Tribe Has Gone Too Far: Archbishop Condemns Adult Toy in Carnival Bags.” Trinidad Express, 10 February 2026.
