Carnival Monday
Real pandemonium however, can be seen from about 4:00a.m Carnival Monday, when revelers hit the streets for what is known as jouvert, the Creole term for daybreak. Groups go out in night gowns, costumes or cross-dressed as they seek pulsating rhythm from a steel pan group or a lapo kabwit band. Masqueraders flood the city’s streets as they move vivaciously to the music. By 7:00am the sun would have risen, sweeping shadows into dusky corners. The sounds of lapo kabwit and steel pan are drowned by the majestic booms of live bands making their way through the streets. These bands perform until 10:00am. For a moment, the city may seem somewhat asleep, as most people have gone home to rejuvenate themselves. Few loiter around the city following a hi-fi on a truck, as it spreads calypso fever in every corner. This supposed calm lasts until about 2:00pm. This is when the highlight of Carnival Monday and perhaps the climax of carnival begin.
T-shirt bands take to the streets. Each band is entertained by a live band. The people take to the city en masse bringing life to every area. The true liberation of the people is seen at this moment as they let go of every burden and shake themselves to the beat. Rainfall is not enough to stop carnival in a moment like this. Torrential rain or blazing sun, the people will jump. For it is street jump up! And so the hours pass by, too quickly perhaps. And as darkness emerges from dusky corners, and spreads over the entire city, the carnival attending population increases. By 7:00pm, there is barely room to accommodate more people. But all must be accommodated; because street jump up is a must. And so as room is made for everyone, the people express their joys for this kind of liberation by shaking their sweaty bodies to the sweet music. The hours roll by, and the people dance. It seems like they do not know fatigue. For by then, bodies and music have become one. The heart- the pulse- the drums of the band encourages musicians and revelers alike to keep going, until the hour when it must all end. And so, carnival Monday in Dominica is brought to an end in the city. People from the urban areas grudgingly drag their bodies home, while those from rural areas can’t wait to get back to their villages, as they know that carnival Monday is still on. Carnival Monday on the island of Dominica is really an occasion for locals and visitors alike.