OK, yuh boy Midnght Robber Stickin. I know I have been MIA for awhile.. but certainly you understand. There were no carnivals to go to. After Ash Wednesday there isn’t much to look forward to for several months. But like all junkies…I need my fix and a true Junkie will scrap the bottom of the barrel to get that high.
Hence, I found my way to the USVI visiting the beautiful Island of St. Thomas. They just “happen” to be having their Carnival the weekend while I was there. What a coincidence!! Now I missed the week long festivities as I arrived on Carnival Friday so I can’t speak on the full slate of activities. I missed their version of Jouvert, I missed Machel in HD and I missed several other events.
I did make it to “the Village” as they call it. Its a giant parking lot with a stage, vendors outlining the entire area and a carnival/fair on one side with rides and games and such. OK..its pretty kid friendly. As a matter of fact…. there were alot of blasted kids there…and Im not talking just teenagers. If you see the amount of little ones running the place. If there is one thing I give the St. Tomians and Cruzans credit for. They will not let pregnancy or their multiple toddlers get in the way of their limin. And not juss the women either. You will see plenty fellas pushing strollers or child in arms liming all 1, 2, 3AM in the morning. Very responsible fathers but yuh know, the toddlers really should be in dey bed.
Now I want to stress the fact that they “lime”. These people don’t fete. They will stand and watch a band and not move. I can’t even call them social. That would be a compliment. They don’t seem to fond of DJ’s either. A band will get on stage and not get off. I witnessed the “SugarBand” performing. I thought they were pretty good for the full 3 1/2 hours they were on stage. They don’t compare to the HD’s, Traffiks and Krosfyahs of the world but they were decent. But enough about “the Village” lets get to the real event. MAS!!!
No..I did not play mas. I went purely as a spectator. The parade route is short but moves pretty slowly so if yuh playing mas, the 10 blocks or so on the parade route will seem like 3 miles. Its held on a relatively narrow road with limited room for spectators. But that works for them because….there arent that many spectators. I moved pretty freely up and down the road. Carnival in St. Thomas pretty much for the locals. Its not an event that would cater to “visitors” which is a good thing because MAS isn’t a commercial business for them unlike my beloved TnT. Its for their heritage… whatever that is. It is a USVI so whatever they had is obviously diluted because of the heavy American Influence, but there is some there to appreciate.
So whats my impression of Mas in St. Thomas??? well… Its entertaining and amusing to say the least. The bands come in 2 categories, small and very small. Atleast that is what they looked to me. Membership in some bands didn’t exceed 15. The largers ones probably hit 50 masqueraders. They are big on dance routines. Some bands are entirely teenagers. Some with grown folks. Some with creative themes. Some with playful funny themes. Some with sexy girls..and of course..there were Mampees. Lots and lots of Mampees. For a tropical island with beautiful beaches, Im a bit dumbfounded by the high percentage of women out of shape. Maybe its my imagination but pictures don’t lie. And you know….I have alot of pictures. So here we go!
rhelly, rhelly big mampees
Comical Themes
No Shortage of Bamcees
Dance Routines
It Rained
Some Presentations look Rhell nice
Some were… “interesting”
And down right ridiculous
They were Patriotic
They were political
But all it all, it was an experience. The USVI is beautiful enough to visit anytime. I wouldn’t go out of my way to make sure Im there for carnival though. As I stated, its really not for the outsiders, or so it seems. Its entertaining…but not exciting. USVI will see me again. Their carnival may not….but the Island will.
If you want to see the full 323 pictures..you can visit our friends over at Phatjamz.
