Carnival, otherwise known as Spicemas returned at the beginning of August this year after a 2 year hiatus because of Covid. The tradition of the carnivals comes from Africans, who were brought to the Caribbean as slaves. They were not allowed to celebrate their traditions, so they had to celebrate in secret. The Spicemas Carnival commemorates the end of slavery, with days of celebrations including concerts in the national stadium, the children's parade, a beauty pageant, lots of parties, parades in the street, and lots of loud music.
J'ouvert (pronounced: Juvee) is a party that takes place in the streets in the early hours of the morning. It is one of the most important ceremonies of the carnival as it represents the free spirit, the end of slavery, and the freedom of worship. The people who participate cover themselves in old engine oil, paint, or cocoa, and wear costumes, masks, chains and horned hats. Onlookers are encouraged to wear their oldest clothes that will just be thrown away afterwards, as you are likely to get at least a spray of oil or paint thrown at you.
We didn't participate in J'ouvert, however some cruising friends of ours did. They said it was lots of fun, very loud and quite risqué with some of the antics of the participants.
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| Shaun and Shelley |
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| Tony |
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| Faye |
The final day of the carnival is known as The Last Lap during which Pretty Mas Parade happens. Believe it or not, the streets are clean and very little evidence of the previous days' engine oil party can be seen. This is the time for the ladies to shine in their very skimpy costumes complete with feathers and shiny sequins. Each district has a band that plays their music from trucks and distributes food and drinks to their group from the trucks, with the dancing men and women following behind. The general public can join a band, for a fee, and dress up and parade down the street with the group.
We went into St George's on a bus, packed full of cruisers and joined our friends, Shelley, Shaun, Faye, Ian, and Tony at the parade.
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| 22 Cruisers in a bus |
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| Ready for a party |
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| More at the back |
We had a fantastic afternoon. It was definitely worth the effort of getting there. The music was loud as each truck came past. There was such a lovely air of festivity and happiness amongst the participants and the crowd. Drinks were sold on the side of the road and local food could be bought at nearby vendors.
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| Waiting for the first trucks to arrive |
The video below shows the Short Knee Band.
We had fun stopping people and asking for a photograph.
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| Faye and Siobhan |
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| Food trucks |
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| Chicken for lunch |
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| Joining in the fun! |
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| Photo please? |
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| Happy to stop for a photo |
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 | | Tony and the stilt walker |
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| Drinks in a pram |
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| Beautiful! |
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| The different colours were vibrant |
As you can see in the next video clip, everybody was welcome to join in the street parade.
Watch to the end to see how much Laura was enjoying herself, contrary to internet belief!!
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| Spectacular colors |
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Look at the size of those speakers
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| Cheers everyone |
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