My Community Part 3

In my community of Flatbush, Brooklyn there is an annual West Indian Day Jouvert Parade thats takes place from Empire Boulevard to Nostrand Avenue from 3:00 in the morning to 10:00 in the morning. Jouvert originated in the republic of Trinidad and Tobago. However, in the late 70s and early 80s Jouvert was bought to New York by Trinidadian and other Caribbean immigrants.

Jouvert comprises of "ole time mas" a term from Trinidad meaning costumes in the form of rags or just scary costumes in which participants throw colored powders, water, mud or oil on Jab Jabs (a devil masquerade). Jouvert is known for its musical creativity using such indigenous instruments as the steel pan, iron and cow bell. This celebration of Jouvert originated from the French pre-lentan celebrations in Trinidad in the late 1700s. African slaves mocked the French colonizers ballroom celebration that took place the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, today known as Mardi Gra (French for Fat Tuesday).

Today Jouvert is much commercialized and is celebrated in more countries, countries that were never even a French colony. In the United States, Jouvert is celebrated in New York particularly in my neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Over the years though, Jouvert has seemed to become more violent causing politicians and activists to want to end the parade.