Rasta, reggae, Royal!

Britain' Prince Harry arrived Monday Kingston for his 1st official visit to Jamaica,  after having toured Brazil, Belize, the Bahamas as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee on the British throne.  Harry is scheduled to meet with newly elected Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller at a time when many islanders want out of the British realm. In 1655 Jamaica became an English (later British) colony, known as "Jamaica". It achieved full independence on August 6, 1962 & is celebrating its 50th year in August. It remains a Commonwealth realm in concert with theMonarchy of Jamaica holding ultimate executive power, where Queen Elizabeth II is the current head of state & Queen of Jamaica.

(PHOTO: Bob Marley's flat in 1972 at 34 Ridgmount Gardens, London, his first UK address/Wikipedia)With 2.8 million people, it is the 3rd most populous anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States & Canada.  In Jamaica for 4 days, Harry will meet with superstar sprinter Usain Bolt. He's also a huge rap fan who & is expected to make the club scene.   Jamaica's own influence on British culture can be traced to the `ska' revolution of the early 1960s.  Superstar Bob Marley recorded 3 of his most famous albums (Live!, Exodus, Kaya) there & reggae music was the soundtrack for rebellious British youth in the 1970s.  (Read more at The Jamaica Observer)

Carnival begins in Rio and goes worldwide

(PHOTO: Rio Carnival goers celebrate during the Banda de Ipanema street parade on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro/AFP)(HN, 2.17.12) -  Brazil's Carnival season came alive on Saturday with more than 2 million people attending the seasonal celebration, wearing festive outfits & staging a huge dance driven street festival in Rio.  On Friday the legendary King Momo declared the Carnival officially open.  Some 171 street parties were scheduled across the "Marvellous City" this weekend & 400 during the 5 day Carnival. Other Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo, the country's economic capital & Salvador de Bahia, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture, also celebrated the annual pre-Lent festival in style.  The Carnival of Rio is the biggest Carnival celebration in the world. (READ MORE from the Sydney Morning Herald)

(PHOTO: Carla del Ponte as witch at the Rijeka Carnival/Wikipedia)Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February & typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask & public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. (via WIKIPEDIA)

(PHOTO: Masquerade ball at the Carnival of Venice/Wikipedia)The festival of Carnival is celebrated worldwide in nations including:  Andalusia, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Azores, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Catalonia, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, England, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica,  Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands-Antilles, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saba, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, the USVI, & Venezuela.