As we finished our mini-bus tour of the island of St. Kitts, our local guide informed us that it was the final day of the Carnival celebration– it started at Christmas, and that there would be a huge parade through the center of town, Basseterre. While confused about the timing (this was January 2nd after all; Carnival is usually associated with pre-Lent festivities and usually takes place in late February or early March), we were excited to be a part of the local merriment and beelined it to the historic center.

It was like nothing I’d ever witnessed. Perhaps like me, when you think of Carnival, you think of colorful parades in Rio de Janeiro, Mardi Gras bead-throwing in New Orleans, or elegantly dressed masqueraders in Venice. This was a little bit of all of that, sans the elegance, but also disturbingly more.

A Moko-Jumbi stilt-walker dances and parades his…