"Kicking off at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park under the cover of darkness, New Yorkers partook in the traditional carnival celebration, which saw legions of revelers march down Flatbush Avenue to Eastern Parkway and along Empire Boulevard. Rubbing oil and throwing paint and powder at one another, partygoers twirled and frolicked in a rush of color and the dawn light."
"The oil and paint are meant to symbolize liberation while also defying the colonialism of the past. Attendees smiled and cheered as they reached out to one another with oil-covered hands, bidding each other good tidings. White t-shirts became soaked with oil, and faces were smeared with it as well. Steel bands pounded on their pans, filling the quiet streets with music."
"J'Ouvert itself stems from the French phrase jour ouvert, meaning daybreak or morning, and marks the traditional start of the West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade, a Labor Day-long lineup of festivities honoring Caribbean culture and a celebration of freedom. The NYPD made its presence known as it accompanied the J'ouvert revelers with a few officers even getting in on the fun. There were no reports of any major incidents."
Thousands gathered in Brooklyn before dawn for the annual J'ouvert parade, starting at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park and moving down Flatbush Avenue to Eastern Parkway and Empire Boulevard. Revelers rubbed oil and threw paint and powder at one another, twirling and frolicking in a rush of color and dawn light; the oil and paint symbolize liberation and defiance of colonialism. Attendees exchanged oil-covered greetings while white t-shirts and faces became smeared; steel bands filled the streets with music. The NYPD accompanied the procession, with some officers joining the celebration, and organizers reported no major incidents. The festivities culminated at Utica Avenue and continued into the West Indian American Day Parade toward the Brooklyn Museum.
Read at www.amny.com
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