J'ouvert ( ) or Jour ouvert is a traditional festival known as "break day" or the unofficial start of Carnival, which takes place on the Monday before

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the ...

. The festival, with origins in

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, traditionally begins at 2 a.m. and continues until mid-morning on Monday. J'Ouvert revellers cover their bodies in coloured paints, mud, pitch oil, dress as blue or red devils to dance the streets as an expression of liberation from the constraints of the past and in celebration of the ancestors who have gone before them. Other neighbouring islands (primarily in the

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), and in areas where Caribbean people have immigrated, celebrate J'ouvert before the official start of Carnival Mas, where the more elaborate costumes are on display and danced through the city streets. ''J'ouvert'' is a gallicization of ''jou ouvè'' (; ''jour ouvert'' in standard French), the French Creole term meaning "dawn" or "daybreak", as this is the time at which the celebration is typically held.

History

J'ouvert is celebrated in many countries throughout the Caribbean. It is believed to have its foundation in

Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...

's Carnival history with roots steeped in the French Afro-Creole traditions such as Camboulay. J'ouvert is also a practice in many places outside the Caribbean as part of Carnival celebrations throughout the year, with the biggest celebrations happening in places around the world with large Caribbean

ex-pat An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

communities. Traditionally, the celebration involves calypso/ soca bands and their followers dancing through the streets. The

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

starts well before dawn and typically peaks by mid-morning. Carnival was introduced to Trinidad by French colonials in 1783, a time of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Banned from the masquerade balls of the French, the enslaved people would stage their own mini-carnivals in their backyards — using their own

rituals A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, but also imitating and sometimes mocking their masters' behavior at the masquerade balls. The origins of street parties associated with J'ouvert coincide with the

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...

from

in 1838. Emancipation provided Africans with the opportunity not only to participate in Carnival, but to embrace it as an expression of their new-found freedom. Some theorize that some J'ouvert traditions are carried forward in remembrance of civil disturbances, known as the Camboulay Riots, in Port of Spain, Trinidad, when the people smeared themselves with oil or paint to avoid being recognized. The traditions of J'ouvert vary widely throughout the Caribbean. In

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

and Grenada, a part of the tradition involves smearing paint, mud or oil on the bodies of participants. " Jab Jabs" revellers are mostly recognized for covering their bodies in oil from head to toe. In other countries, J'ouvert is celebrated on the first day of August ( Emancipation Day), and yet for other West Indian countries J'ouvert is observed the night before the daytime "Pretty Mas". Pretty Mas, a bright and festive version of the celebration, features colorful costumes which are often made of feathers, beads, gem stones, brightly coloured fabrics, glitter and other elaborate body adornments and is more popular while commercially publicized. J'ouvert uses the rebellious nature of powder, mud and oil, while Pretty Mas celebrates the abstract allure of glitter, colour and light. J'ouvert can further be contrasted with Pretty Mas in that J'ouvert is said to be for "the people" while Pretty Mas is intended for the establishment.

References

External links

"Trinidad Carniva – The Greatest Show on Earth

Trinidad Jouvert
TriniInXisle. {{Carnival around the world Trinidad and Tobago culture Caribbean culture Carnivals Carnivals in Anguilla Carnivals in Antigua and Barbuda Carnivals in Aruba Carnivals in the Bahamas Carnivals in the British Virgin Islands Carnivals in Dominica Carnivals in Grenada Carnivals in Haiti Carnivals in Jamaica Carnivals in Saint Kitts and Nevis Carnivals in Saint Lucia Carnivals in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Carnivals in Sint Maarten Carnivals in Trinidad and Tobago Carnivals in the United States Virgin Islands Folk festivals in Dominica Folk festivals in Grenada Folk festivals in Antigua and Barbuda Folk festivals in the Bahamas Folk festivals in Haiti Folk festivals in Jamaica Folk festivals in Saint Kitts and Nevis Folk festivals in Saint Lucia Folk festivals in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Folk festivals in Trinidad and Tobago

History

See also

References

External links