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Carnival in Grenada

Carnival

Subject: Grenada carnival 2004


Renowned for its colour, creativity and unique
cultural character, Grenada’s Carnival is one of the
island’s biggest annual festivals. Although each
parish features its own brand of traditional costume
or mas’, and many have activities at the Parish level,
for many the main Carnival action is to be found on
the streets of the capital city of St. George’s.

The festivities begin in July with the opening of
various Calypso Tents where local calypso bards sing
to entertain locals and visitors alike and to vie for
a chance to compete on the big stage of the National
Calypso Monarch Competition. School Calypso
competitions culminate in the Junior Calypso Monarch
and Junior Soca Monarch shows, where the young
cultural talent of Grenada is brought to the
forefront.

The Carnival celebration gains momentum in early
August with cultural presentations and calypso shows
almost every night of the week and the night air is
filled with the sound of steel bands rehearsing their
unique musical arrangements for the upcoming Panorama
competition.

Finally the countdown to Carnival begins one week
before, with the opening of the Rainbow City Festival
in Grenville, St. Andrew. Also called La Baye, this
craft and cultural fair serves up a weekend of fun and
frolic and endless parties through the streets of the
Grenville, Grenada’s second largest town.

Carnival week proceeds with the National Carnival
Queen Show, where Grenada’s young women compete in
Carnival costume, evening gown and cultural
performance categories; the Soca Monarch Finals and
the Panorama Steel Band competition.

Carnival Sunday brings the final countdown to Carnival
with the Dimarche Gras Show, featuring the Kings and
Queens of the Fancy Mas Bands in competition for King
and Queen of Carnival.

Many revellers begin their Carnival marathon at the
Dimarche Gras Show and continue straight into the
J’Ourvert celebrations, where in the early hours of
Monday morning, the traditional Jab-Jab or Devil Mas
bands emerge from the darkness of the night to parade
freely through the town. Blackened with stale
molasses, tar, grease, creosote or mud, and wearing
little more than their horned helmets, these
masqueraders in previous times set out to terrify
onlookers with their grotesque appearance and
repulsive dances.

In modern times, the traditional Jab-Molassi have
mutated into other creatures of colour, with Blue,
Yellow and Green Devils joining in the early morning
parade. These colourful devils are much more playful
in character, wanting only to dab a bit of their body
paint onto unsuspecting bystanders, as they dance
through the streets to the rhythms of the accompanying
drums, steel bands and calypsos from huge DJ trucks.

The Ole Mas bands are the only other inhabitants in
the early morning, bringing international and local
events to the fore through their double entendre (or
double talk) placards and satirical costumes.

The Carnival devils disappear with the rising of the
sun, making way for the Traditional and Fancy Mas
bands in the Monday parade or Pageant. Each parish has
its own brand of traditional mas usually represented
by Short Knees, Vekou and Wild Indians.

With Arab-like head coverings, jumbo collars, batwing
sleeves and three-quarter (short knee) baggy trousers,
the Short knee Bands are now the most prevalent of the
traditional masqueraders. Almost identical in
appearance, they dance through the roads from their
respective villages, into the town of St. George’s,
passionately chanting, boxing the air and scattering
baby powder with abandon.

Next come the modern costumed bands of revellers, who
cross the stage at the National Stadium and then
parade through the streets of the capital city of St.
George’s in the afternoon sun, gyrating to the beat of
the year’s most popular calypsos. Listen out for the
song most played throughout the day, as this is the
basis for the Annual Road March King Competition.
Costumed bands are often heralded by the arrival of
the King and Queen of the band, the large costumes
which vied for King and Queen of Carnival during the
Sunday night Dimarche Gras.

Carnival Monday ends with the Monday Night Mas' street
jump-up, where party goers in brightly coloured
T-shirt bands, wave fluorescent wands and dance
through the streets into the wee hours of the Tuesday
morning.

On Carnival Tuesday, the fancy bands take to the
streets again, parading through the capital city of
St. George's, to the music of traditional steel bands
or the pulsating sounds of the current calypso songs
from mobile DJs. The party can continue long into the
night until the most devout of revellers finally
stagger home.

For more information about Grenada’s Carnival visit
the official website of the Grenada Carnival Committee
at www.spicemasgrenada.com or click to view the latest
Carnival schedule.