It is the South Africa press that shows its admiration for the Carnaval International de Victoria that is staged in Seychelles annually. South Africa actively participates in this “Carnival of Carnivals” to showcase their own culture and tradition and to show to the Community of Nations that they are proud of their people.

It starts with “the little city’s traffic has pretty much ground to gridlocks since the procession route up Independence Avenue has closed up,” the Sunday Times Travel Weekly newspaper says as it pays tribute to the Seychelles second edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria, with a ravishing and well-written article by journalist Nancy Richard.

A carnival with a difference and one which even eight months down the line, when Seychelles has entered into the cooling period of carnival saga, press coverage of that second edition of the island’s carnival is still continuing to bring back memories of the Seychelles’ biggest party, drawing thousands of people to the streets for a raucous celebration of music. The carnival was this year jointly hosted by Seychelles and La Reunion island. Both these islands form part of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organization.

Journalist Nancy Richard, a guest of the Seychelles Tourism Board at this year’s carnival, published a colorful article that brought back the good jolly memories of the day of the carnival procession when the capital of Seychelles was blanketed by a sea of massive carnival floats that went their way along its small avenues. This is the experience that the world remembers of the Vanilla Islands second edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria.

“Waves, tsunamis of music, well over 50 rolling floats, and armies of street performers stopped to do their set for the President and VIPs. The Vanilla Islands were followed by Namibia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Zimbabwe, and Mexico. There were grasps as the Russian navy performed martial arts: blonde-plaited German Gretchens did the splits …” quoted Nancy Richards.

Carnival is to Seychelles an outpouring of good spirits, where the melting pots of cultures of nations come together “in a riot of rhythms, swirling skirts and hips, drums and song from different countries celebrated their cultures together, beyond the constraints of religions, politics, and color,” she added. From March 4-6, 2012 through the sunny streets of Victoria, livened up to the vibrant music and exotic costumes, Seychelles Carnival - the scent of vanilla fragrance, the “carnival of carnivals” - remains a great moment to be remembered.

“I waved at the mermaid, among them Martha Fevrier, gliding down the avenue inside her mobile outfit on Castors… originally from St. Lucia, Fevrier has been doing this for over 20 years. You only ever see happy faces at carnival she said. Victoria is no exception,” quotes Nancy Richard, beautifully ending her article.