J'ouvert - It's Carnival Baby!
J'ouvert (joo-vay) took place the Thursday morning of Carnival week. It's taken this long for me to write a post about it because it was so exhausting!!! J'ouvert is basically a big moving street party/concert. Five bands get loaded up onto big open semi-trucks early in the morning (or late at night, depending on your perspective), and everyone else on the island "jumps up" and dances along with the bands as they make their way down the waterfront road. The J'ouvert "warm-up" starts at 12:30 a.m. and the real deal starts at 4:00 a.m. But, you have to keep in mind, we're on island time.
Dave and I parked by my office around 6:30 a.m. the morning of J'ouvert and started walking down Veteran's Drive (aka Waterfront). The road was closed to traffic, so many people were walking in the streets. Quite a few spectators were setup along the side of the road waiting for the bands and the crowds. We saw many tailgates and tables full of liquor and johnny cakes for sale.
Even though I'd been told 6 a.m. would be a good time to show up, I expected the bands to have moved further along than they had. We walked about 30 minutes before coming to the first band. I found out later they had literally just started when we arrived. Unfortunately for Dave, he had an early morning tour and only had time to stay for a few minutes before heading to work. As for me, I was told it was perfectly fine to get to work around 10 or 11 that morning since everyone would be at J'ouvert.
My coclerks found me and we stuck together for awhile in the big mass of people. The bands moved very, very slowly. They started around 7 a.m. and finished at the Carnival Village around 11 a.m. - maybe a mile and a half down the road. There was plenty of loud music and dancing in the
streets. Equally important, there was free beer and rum! Between the second and third band trucks was a truck giving away Presidente beer. [As Dave will tell you, Presidente is the most valuable finished product domestic export from the Dominican Republic.] While it didn't sound particularly good to me at 7 a.m., I felt that to truly participate in J'ouvert, I needed to get a beer with my fellow revelers. When I got my beer I was also given a free mini-bottle of orange flavored Cruzan rum - very exciting! [Our loyal readers should know by now that Cruzan rum is made on St. Croix.]
Being in the streets near the bands was like being right in front of the stage at a huge concert. We waded through the fans from one band to another and back again. Bands included the Aktion Band, P'Your Passion, Cool Sessions, and De Sugar Band from St. Kitts. Of course, Jam Band was also there. I recognized many of their songs as I often hear them played at the beach on the weekends. But until J'ouvert, I didn't know they were Jam Band songs. I was also totally ignorant of the fact that they have a song called Superheros which causes many, many fans to wear superhero costumes to show their loyalty to Jam Band. Until I found this vital piece of information out, I thought I'd just come across an island full of people who like superman as much as me!
After a few hours of dancing in the streets, it was a bit too hot for me (even with the free Cruzan Rum hat I acquired) so I headed back to my
office. On J'ouvert morning, the court has a big breakfast for all the revelers as they wander into work. Just picture a group of professionals who look like they just left a loud, hot concert where they'd been drinking, dancing, and getting sweaty and pushed around a little. Be sure to add the smiles on their faces. After drinking some cold water, turning the a/c on full blast in my office, and changing into a clean shirt, I felt much more presentable. I got some fruit, pancake, dumb bread, saltfish, and other yummy foods, then I headed to the building stairs to watch the parade of bands and fans make their way to the Village. All in all, it was a very interesting experience. Words and pictures don't really do it justice. There's a J'ouvert on St. John for their Carnival during the week of 4th of July for anyone interested....
Dave and I parked by my office around 6:30 a.m. the morning of J'ouvert and started walking down Veteran's Drive (aka Waterfront). The road was closed to traffic, so many people were walking in the streets. Quite a few spectators were setup along the side of the road waiting for the bands and the crowds. We saw many tailgates and tables full of liquor and johnny cakes for sale.
Even though I'd been told 6 a.m. would be a good time to show up, I expected the bands to have moved further along than they had. We walked about 30 minutes before coming to the first band. I found out later they had literally just started when we arrived. Unfortunately for Dave, he had an early morning tour and only had time to stay for a few minutes before heading to work. As for me, I was told it was perfectly fine to get to work around 10 or 11 that morning since everyone would be at J'ouvert.
My coclerks found me and we stuck together for awhile in the big mass of people. The bands moved very, very slowly. They started around 7 a.m. and finished at the Carnival Village around 11 a.m. - maybe a mile and a half down the road. There was plenty of loud music and dancing in the
streets. Equally important, there was free beer and rum! Between the second and third band trucks was a truck giving away Presidente beer. [As Dave will tell you, Presidente is the most valuable finished product domestic export from the Dominican Republic.] While it didn't sound particularly good to me at 7 a.m., I felt that to truly participate in J'ouvert, I needed to get a beer with my fellow revelers. When I got my beer I was also given a free mini-bottle of orange flavored Cruzan rum - very exciting! [Our loyal readers should know by now that Cruzan rum is made on St. Croix.]Being in the streets near the bands was like being right in front of the stage at a huge concert. We waded through the fans from one band to another and back again. Bands included the Aktion Band, P'Your Passion, Cool Sessions, and De Sugar Band from St. Kitts. Of course, Jam Band was also there. I recognized many of their songs as I often hear them played at the beach on the weekends. But until J'ouvert, I didn't know they were Jam Band songs. I was also totally ignorant of the fact that they have a song called Superheros which causes many, many fans to wear superhero costumes to show their loyalty to Jam Band. Until I found this vital piece of information out, I thought I'd just come across an island full of people who like superman as much as me!
After a few hours of dancing in the streets, it was a bit too hot for me (even with the free Cruzan Rum hat I acquired) so I headed back to my
office. On J'ouvert morning, the court has a big breakfast for all the revelers as they wander into work. Just picture a group of professionals who look like they just left a loud, hot concert where they'd been drinking, dancing, and getting sweaty and pushed around a little. Be sure to add the smiles on their faces. After drinking some cold water, turning the a/c on full blast in my office, and changing into a clean shirt, I felt much more presentable. I got some fruit, pancake, dumb bread, saltfish, and other yummy foods, then I headed to the building stairs to watch the parade of bands and fans make their way to the Village. All in all, it was a very interesting experience. Words and pictures don't really do it justice. There's a J'ouvert on St. John for their Carnival during the week of 4th of July for anyone interested....
posted by Kendra at 2:21 PM
2 Comments:
Wow -- sounds like fun! Free beer, too! Was the music loud enough to hear inside the courthouse? I assume you don't schedule any trials
during J'ouvert, right?
The trucks with the bands didn't come all the way to our building - they stopped in the big parking lot by the superior court. We could only see them from our stairs because the street curves a little. So no, we couldn't hear them. And no, no trials during carnival week!
Post a Comment
<< Home