Issue 5 - Grenada

If you have ever set foot in a Caribbean carnival, then you have experienced the truest form of the region’s spirit and soul. But if you have never been to Grenada’s Spicemas, then you are missing the most elemental form of Carnival bacchanalia that ever was – Jab Jab. Outsiders would be forgiven for drawing similarities across Caribbean carnivals: beautiful women, scanty costumes, hips gyrating to sounds of Soca music, stunning backdrops and an endless supply of rum.

In the early hours of the morning of the Monday festival, masqueraders pour into the streets of St. George’s by the thousands for J’ouvert, the start of the carnival celebrations. For Grenadians, this is the heart of Carnival, and it’s all about Jab Jab.traditional forms of Carnival, like Ole Mas.

When it’s all said and done, and the sun comes up on Monday morning, blackened and besmeared masqueraders head to the sea. Some jump right into the water along the Carenage, others bound for beaches like the famed Grand Anse, to wash away the oil and whatever sins arose in the night, and prepare themselves to party more or less straight through to Tuesday.