come celebrate our golden jubilee
40 I remembered some years ago as I was interviewed on television, I was asked to describe Jouvert, and I said, “Jouvert is an organized, fully disorganized fete.” This is so, because you never know who or what to expect during Jouvert and the strange occurrences that usually take place. I have had the honor to chair the Jouvert committee for the last ten years or so, and from my eyes, it is the icing on the Carnival celebrations. No matter what the judges decisions are, how long the debates last, what time the shows end, what time Lions stop their jam, no matter the weather, as long as bands are out, the people are always ready to jam. Jouvert is just very special, or as the young people will now say, Jouvert is a time to wild out. As a youngster growing up, I think being out at four or five in the morning when the place was still relatively dark added a kind of silent intrigue to the whole outlook of Jouvert. People believed because it was dark they could get away with certain things. I do not know how or when Jouvert actually started, or whose idea it was, but in conversation with the elders, I learned that Jouvert started long before the first Carnival in 1957. The Iron bands from the Mas Music F a n t a s y Mitchell A. Hill Point area that were called the “Housecoat bands” in the 1940’s, were very popular and paraded the streets early in the mornings, particularly at Christmas time and on special holidays. On Jouvert morning, a variety of characters are always present and provide the merrymakers as well as the onlookers with a lot of laughter. Some of these characters dress up in the weirdest of costumes, others barely dressed, while some indulge in an over abundance of alcoholic beverage. Individuals like Gwen, the Po Man, the Frock man, and the man with the pig, have contributed to this disorganized fete for many years. They are now fixtures that are missed if they do not show up. Many of us look, stare, pass comments and the like, but come next year and these characters do not appear, we feel as if something was missing. While we remember the characters, there are many that are before my time and some of them are still alive today. Politicians, lawyers, maids, doctors, businessmen, clerks, teachers, cleaners, nurses and others can be seen hugging, drinking and jamming together, either side by side, or bottom to belly, with a facial expression that says, we are having big, big fun! Special mention must be made of the “Rig” drivers who are considered as some of the best drivers around. On Jouvert morning, the narrow streets in St. John’s provide a big challenge to these skillful drivers. Maneuvering the short corners with vehicles parked on both sides of a particular street, and vendors with their trays, refrigerators and whole kitchen set–up on the sidewalks, usually become a real test. On this the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Carnival, we should all big-up the Rig drivers for taking us through the streets of St. John’s safely each year. They are some of the un-sung heroes of Carnival. The best part of Jouvert in my opinion is reaching the judges’ point on Newgate Street and looking up at the television camera perched atop the Shoul’s building. The excitement when the revellers realize that they are on television, is mind-boggling. They contort their faces into all kinds of ugly things, and the competition of who can wock-up more than who, begins. A friend of mine who returned home