- J'ouvert
J'ouvert (also spelled as "Jouve") and pronounced 'juuvay', is a large street party during
Carnival in the easternCaribbean region. J'ouvert is a contraction of the French "jour ouvert", or "day open" (morning).J'ouvert is celebrated on many islands, including
Anguilla ,Antigua & Barbuda ,Aruba ,Barbados ,Dominica ,Grenada ,Haiti ,Jamaica ,Saint Lucia , St. Vincent and the Grenadines,St. Kitts and Nevis ,Sint Maarten ,Trinidad and Tobago , theU.S. Virgin Islands and theBritish Virgin Islands . It is also a feature ofNew York City 'sWest Indian Day Parade held onLabor Day , in the Crown Heights neighborhood ofBrooklyn andNotting Hill Carnival inLondon , both areas that have a largeCaribbean ex-pat communities.The celebration involves calypso/soca bands and their followers dancing thru the streets. The festival starts well before dawn and peaks a few hours after sunrise. Another part of the tradition involves throwing coloured powders, water, smearing paint, mud, or oil on the participants known as "Jab Jabs".
Some theorize that this is done in remembrance of a civil disturbance in
Port of Spain ,Trinidad , when the people smeared themselves with oil or paint to avoid being recognized. Others point to the English-speaking Caribbean's significant Indian Community and the festival ofHoli [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/holi_2.shtml "A colourful celebration"] "BBC " Religion & Ethics: Hinduism] as the origin of this custom.ee also
*
Antigua Carnival
*Caribbean Carnival
*Crown Heights, Brooklyn
*Trinidad Carnival References
External links
* [http://www.jouvert.com "Trinidad Carnival:The Greatest Show on Earth]
* [http://www.jouvay.com "Jouvay Ventures"]
* [http://www.spicemasgrenada.com "Grenada Spice Mas Carnival"]
* [http://www.wiadca.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=35 "Guide to carnival:J'Ouvert"] from the official West Indian-American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) website (USA)
* [http://www.itzcaribbean.com/carnival_jouvert.php "Jouvert London"]
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