While I have been (unintentionally) neglecting this blog, Wavey has been busy with her own writing. She wrote diligently as part of her school assignments, and then they got stuck in well...my pile. Patient and persistent girl that she is, she did her final edits today and published two posts in Wavey's Words.
The hype about Carnival was already building when we got to Grenada in July. There were ads, Jump-Ups (street parties) and news about the upcoming events. From the boat, we could hear music and parties along the shore, playing well into most nights. It was clear that something was happening. We weren't sure if we wanted to partake in the Carnival festivities. We heard some reports, that streets could get rowdy and there was disagreement about whether it would be suitable to take kids to some events. Some of the stadium shows were a little pricey and the kids weren't sure about attending the parade. They enjoyed the Carnival in St. Maarten back in April, but they found the music deafening. After doing a bit of research, we decided to attend a Carnival event called J'Ouvert held on August 14th. J'Ouvert literally means, "daybreak", or the opening of the day. This event revs up at 4:00 am and marks that beginning of the two days of Carnival. This is where the "Jab Jab" or devil-like creatures emerge from the night and parade through the streets. The official Carnival website, www.spicemasgrenada.com/jouvert sets the scene for this event:
"Blackened with stale molasses, tar, grease, creosote or mud, and wearing little more than their horned helmets, these masqueraders in previous times set out to terrify onlookers with their grotesque appearance and repulsive dances.
In modern times, the traditional Jab-Molassi have mutated into other creatures of colour, with Blue, Yellow and Green Devils joining in the early morning parade. These colourful devils are much more playful in character, wanting only to dab a bit of their body paint onto unsuspecting bystanders, as they dance through the streets to the rhythms of the accompanying drums, steel bands and calypsos from huge DJ trucks."
Despite our concerns that this event might freak the kids out, we decided to join the festivities around 5:00 am. Our plan was to take the dinghy to the Grenada Yacht Club and stand behind the gates to watch if it looked too ominous for our crew.
We donned old clothes and covered our heads to keep our hair clean. The kids decked themselves out in glow sticks and John and I took a couple shots of Jab Jab rum to ease the pain of getting up at 4:30 am. We jumped into the dinghy as the soca beats drifted towards us.
Not quite awake
A little rum at 4:30 am? Sure!
On our way into St. George's
We walked through the Yacht Club and stepped over the remnants of a party that looked like it had broken up minutes before. We went beyond the security guards and were hit with the heady smells of chocolate, motor oil, rum and sweat. Odd looking people coated in black oil walked by with horned helmets. We looked out of place, like we'd been plopped into a dark nightclub oblivious to the dress code.
Onto the street. Looking very clean and scared.
"Mom, what are we doing here?"
First glimpse of Jab Jab covered in motor oil
Jab Jabs
Oil hugs
Crowd is getting bigger at dawn
I wasn't so sure I wanted my family to get coated in motor oil, but we couldn't walk around in our pristine outfits. We returned to the Yacht Club where they had an alternative--vats of chocolate to use instead. It was hard for the kids to dip in and cover themselves with chocolate. (I am sure they had my voice in their heads not to get food on their clothes.) However, it didn't take long until we looked a little less alien.
Return to Yacht Club to get chocolated
Ready to hit the street
Chocolate is good, but paint is better!
Stopping at dawn for a drink of coconut water
Jab Jab heating up
The streets kept getting fuller and the bands could be heard making their way towards us. We decided to make our way above the street to get a better view. We found a great place to watch and hang out with some colour-loving friends.
Simon getting his gold on
Now we are feelin' it
In the crowd, our friends from Maple found us and joined us above the street. Ella and Iris arrived looking much like our kids had two hours earlier, but it didn't take them much time to get into the carnival spirit with their parents, Janet and Darryl. When the kids could see someone on the street with a can of paint, they would scurry down to the road, make quick friends, score some paint, and come back to share.
Pre-paint Ella and Iris
Iris getting paint
Kids warming up to this whole idea
Are these the same kids?
Adding the silver touches
Darryl and Janet from Maple
Adding a few shades of chocolate
Steel drum band
J'Ouvert is a celebration of freedom. Since emancipation from slavery in 1834, J'Ouvert has been a way for people to push societal limits, get attention, and have a ton of fun. Despite the heavy drinking everywhere, the crowd was orderly, friendly and welcoming. The slick "devils" dragging chains, with spiky horns were scary-looking but not threatening. They were likely the same polite, well-dressed Grenadians we meet in stores, banks and restaurants the rest of the year.
The fire breathing Jab Jab was mesmerizing. I was impressed when he chugged motor oil to blow his flame. (That much motor oil can't be good for you.)
Silver paint!
This guy came running up the hill pretending to give Simon a hug. All in good fun.
Green paint transformed kids into surgeons
Family carnival shot
We started to feel a little tired mid-morning with the sun blazing down on us. We grabbed some street food and yawned our way back to the boat.
BBQ chicken for breakfast
Simon driving us home
Time for nap!
Before boarding Nahanni V, we jumped overboard and washed our clothes and bodies. The chocolate mostly washed out, but the colour stayed fast leaving us with vibrant memories of our first J'Ouvert.
