As thousands of people go to the streets on Monday to celebrate the traditional occasion for the first time since the epidemic, the New York Police Department is keeping a careful check on the West Indian J’Ouvert marches.
J’Ouvert, a carnival in the Caribbean, commemorates a custom that was started by emancipated slaves. Participants in the parade were decked out in Caribbean attire and waved national flags.
The J’ouvert Festival, with its this year’s theme of “Rejuvenate Breaking the Chain and Embracing the Movement,” took place on the streets of Brooklyn at 6am, with thousands of people dressed in costumes and drums singing in the background.
Up to six o’clock is when the West Indian Day Parade is scheduled to finish the festivities.
The NYPD said on Twitter, “Officers are working out throughout the route to guarantee a safe celebration for everybody.”
In order to keep people safe, police blocked off the streets on Sunday night in anticipation of the celebrations.
This morning, parade attendees could be spotted on the streets, and one police even had a participant twerk on him.
Before daybreak, people went to the Grand Army Plaza since many highways in Brooklyn were going to be blocked for the celebrations.
Participants were checked for weapons and drink at around 13 entrance points.
The audience in the morning seemed upbeat and ready for the day.
As participants entered the streets with enthusiasm for their respective countries, flags from the Caribbean could be seen all throughout.
To get everyone in the mood, several players threw paint and powder about in buckets. Several parade participants were seen having paint splashed down their buttocks when they leaned over and danced at daybreak as many others aggressively danced.
While smeared in black paint and white shaving cream-like foam, the parade participants danced on one another as they moved along the street.
While others grinned with delight, spectators could be seen climbing onto the tops of parade floats in anticipation of the festivities.
Participants displayed the outfits they had planned to wear to the event. In the Caribbean, traditional fabrics like cotton, lace, tulle, and vibrant flowers are still in use today.
Women in one group donned tulle skirts with head coverings and white ribbons.
The bright flowers affixed to their garments and what looked to be numerous layers of a pearl necklace completed their ensembles.
Some wrapped chains around their necks, while others donned flags that represented their homeland in the Caribbean.
Prior to the festival, seamstresses spent weeks crafting the right outfits for the occasion.
For more than 100 persons, a seamstress from Trinidad named Marilyn Gaymes assisted in creating attire with Afro-Brazilian influences.
Gaymes told CBS News, “It’s my first J’ouvert here in New York,” adding that her troupe is portraying a festival of purification called “Lavagem.”
Ebony Jewels, meanwhile, debuted her clothing on Monday.
Jewels said CBS News, “I’m simply going to be one of the masqueraders.” “My top is a crop top that matches this and is decked out in plenty of pearls, bangles, and a lovely floral headpiece,” the wearer said.
For their costumes, some seamstresses worked for an entire year.
According to Kandell Julien, “it takes some time to gather the information and do the study.”
While COVID-19 didn’t deter participants last year, Monday will be the first J’Ouvert parade since the outbreak.
Brooklyn’s Caribbean community had its own unauthorised celebration despite the city being forced to cancel the official event for the second consecutive year in 2021 due to the Indian Delta variation.
Last year, hundreds of Brooklyn residents participated in the festivities while dressed similarly.
The Crown Heights and Flatbush districts were crowded with revellers eating and drinking at barbecues and parties, hoisting national flags, painting one another, and dancing or strolling through the streets with loved ones till dawn.
There was also a group of NYPD cops there.
On a float, the police force cruised about as many policemen performed a variety of instruments to a Caribbean tune. Guitar, tuba, percussion, and saxophone were among the many instruments performed.
According to a Tweet from the department, “The NYPD Band is leading the way in today’s West Indian Day Parade.”
Prior to the events, NY Mayor Eric Adams praised the parade’s return.
In a video, NY Mayor Adams said that “New York City is back” and that “J’Ouvert festivities are back better than before.” We dance our way down the parade route with a newfound sense of camaraderie, resilience, and harmony.
Adams appeared along the procession path, attracting the interest of many spectators.