Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago: Jouvert in TnT

Thursday 9 July 2015

Jouvert in TnT

Jouvet - the official start of the carnival celebration 4am Monday morning

It is the beginning, the dawn of Trinidad Carnival in several ways. Jouvay, a distortion of the original French meaning, opening of the day, has its roots in the very earliest celebrations after emancipation

Jouvert is the very soul of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In the words of 3 Canal, a popular Rapso group, "Ah love it, ah love it, ah love meh Carnival". There is something about this celebration that is pagan, primal and exciting. It's always a thrill to play dutty mas in Port-of-Spain.

3 comments:

Unknown27 July 2015 at 10:12
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Unknown27 July 2015 at 10:12
Go brave or bust is all I can say about jouvert!
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Unknown10 August 2015 at 11:29
j'ouvert is the break of dawn to prance !!!
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THE MAJOR EVENTS ARE:

Panorama The first Panorama was held in 1963 and the preliminary contests for this annual competition are now hosted by each region (North, South, Central and Tobago) in the weeks leading up to Carnival. Held the Saturday before Carnival at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Panorama finals are the ultimate test of a steelband’s skill and selected bands compete before thousands of spectators.  

Kings and Queens Costume Competition The leaders of masquerade bands, King and Queen costumes typically weigh between 50 – 200 lbs, and depict colourful themes from nature to fantasy dreamscapes. Costumes are enhanced with lasers, fog, light shows, fireworks and sound effects.   

Dimanche Gras A massive cultural show, Dimanche Gras is held the Sunday night before Carnival at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. Mas, steelpan, calypso and soca music are showcased at the event, which features the Calypso Monarch competition in which 10 to 12 calypso singers battle in song.  

J’Ouvert  The official start of Carnival, J’Ouvert takes place before dawn on Carnival Monday and bands of revellers dressed in old clothes cover themselves in oil, grease, paint, chocolate or mud and dance through the streets till the sun comes up.   

Carnival Monday and Tuesday Masquerade bands consisting of thousands of people ‘jumping up’ (dancing) in glittery, colourful and often revealing costumes rule the streets on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Each band has its own historical, mythological or tropical concept with various sections depicting aspects of the main theme.  

Mas The costumes worn by masqueraders on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, these costumes can be simple or elaborate in design.  

Calypso Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, calypso music or kaiso is characterized by social or political commentary and/or satirical lyrics sung to ballad style rhythms.  

Soca Derived from calypso, soca’s fast beats and saucy lyrics provide the soundtrack to Carnival. Many of the lyrics are instructional in format e.g.; “Jump and wave”.  

Fetes These parties can be large or small and during the Carnival season feature live performances from soca musicians, with popular fetes attracting massive crowds.

Extempo A type of calypso where rival performers must quickly improvise entertaining lyrics, based on a given subject, before a live audience. Performers are judged on wit and lyrical ingenuity.

Chutney Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, the infectious rhythms of chutney music is derived from a combination of traditional Indian folk songs, soca and Bollywood tunes. Lyrics are sung in Hindi and/or English.

Chutney Brass Chutney Brass is a massive musical event attracting lovers of chutney music with performances from top chutney bands. Each bands’ repertoire must be no less than 60 per cent chutney music.

Brass The term “brass” refers to brass bands, but it is also used to describe massive concert type events such as the Caribbean Brass Festival and the iconic Brass Festival, which feature performances from top brass bands.

All-Inclusive Fete All-Inclusive Fetes are parties where the cost of food and drink (including alcohol) are incorporated into the ticket price.