There are several traditional costumes in the French Guiana carnival, representing various figures.
King Vaval King Vaval is a mythical figure who serves as carnival king. He is introduced at the beginning of the festival and dies on Ash Wednesday, to be reborn like the Phoenix in the following year.
Touloulou s'' Carnival Queen and most famous character is the
Touloulou, an elegantly dressed lady who wears a petticoat, hood,
Domino mask, and
long gloves, so that none of her skin is visible. The aim of the woman who masquerades as a
touloulou is to not be recognized. She strolls down the street and participates in the masked balls. The character represents the bourgeois women of 18th and 19th centuries.
Nèg Maron Neg'Marrons are groups of men dressed in
kalimbé (red
loincloth) and coated with
molasses. Representing fugitive slaves, they seek to make order of the festival.
Other traditional costumes Other traditional characters include the
Zombi baréyé, a
zombie character;
Jwé farin, who is dressed in white trousers, shirt, pointed hat, and mask, representing a baker;
Bobi, is dressed in old potato sacks and appears as a bear led by a leash;
Karolin, representing a rich woman with gold who is jealous and protects other women;
Lanmò, who represents death, is dressed in white;
Soussouris, who represents the bat, is a winged character who commonly wears black or two tones, and is renowned for its vampire behavior; and
Diab rouj (red devil), who dresses in red and black. The
tululu (mask) is worn in French Guiana while celebrating carnival. ==Events==