Spice Mas 2k9

Here it is a week after Grenada's Carnival season and my body is still not fully recovered. As I get older I notice that it takes me longer and longer to recover from massive sleep deprivation, which in this case, came in the form of Spice Mas 2k9! In July of 2009, the carnival season was launched in all the parishes around the island and this year I wanted to be sure to soak up all the goodness that Carnival offers since it's to be my last for awhile. Carnival is actually two days, the second Monday and Tuesday of August, but there are various events and concerts leading up to these two days including Soca Monarch, White in the Moonlight, Panarama, and Dimache Gras.

This year, a few girls (other volunteers) talked about wanting to participate in Fancy Mas which is a masquerade that takes place with various bands competing to win the title of King and Queen. Each band has various sections, each with their own theme and costume. After much hesitation, I decided to suck it up and partake in this once in a lifetime opportunity even though it meant wearing a very risque costume for at least five hours. I figured that if there were anywhere in the world to dance down the road in a bedazzled bikini with a few extra pounds jiggling like the star of a Jello commercial, it's the Caribbean. The men here have an appreciation for larger women and, in general, the people don't seem to give a crap about body image like Americans do. Usually, this mas takes place on Carnival Tuesday in the afternoon, but luckily for me, it rained and was postponed until the following weekend which allowed me to fully partake in Sauteurs' infamous jouvert celebration.

Even though it rained on Tuesday and Fancy Mas was postponed, the girls still got dressed up and played mas while I was in Sauteurs, which is why I'm not in the group photo below. . .:( Sad.

Jouvert is a celebration that occurs on the Monday and Tuesday of Carnival in various villages all over the island. It begins early in the morning, about 5:00a.m. and ends whenever the music stops. Each band consists of it's own truck, d.j., music, and specific color of paint that is then slathered all over your body, usually by a stranger. If you play Jab Jab, then your job is to be covered head to toe in black tar/oil, and look as intimidating and bizarre as possible. This comes in the form of cross dressing, having dead frogs in your mouth, holding snakes, wearing horns and chains, carrying around severed pigs heads, and just about anything else you can think of. This year, the girls and I played jouvert in St. George's on Monday and, of course, I went back to my home, Sauteurs, to play jouvert on Tuesday morning. For years, Sauteurs has been known for having the biggest and best jouvert on the island and this year was no exception! I had a good friend, and ex-party friend/PCV in town which made it even more amazingly fun. We stayed out until 3:00 in the afternoon and finally threw in the towel deciding that sleep and hydration were imperative.

I cannot tell you the fantastic time I had and what made it even more bittersweet was knowing that this would be my last Carnival experience for quite some time. I wish I could be in a state of Carnival five days a week. . .complete and utter bacchanal!! :) I love it and I wish that everyone could experience it at least once in their life. I will be back Grenada! You haven't seen the last of me!!