Ahh September 1st! The end of summer and ideal time for a fresh start, school will begin shortly for most kids and adults alike & sh!t I forgot, my rent is due but not before one last party. Being an avid BKBOYEEZ blogger, where does your heart tell you you'd witness the largest parade in NYC? Brooklyn, of course. The BK Boyeez HAD to continue the timeless tradition on Eastern Parkway at the 41st annual West Indian-American Day Parade. If this was your first time, be very grateful you survived it as I'm sure it was a lot to take in at once.
Okay, let's talk about the people. What do you know about MILLIONS of masqueraders and spectators- men, women, and children of color representing their island nations? Whether your family heritage stems from Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the list goes on and on... we were all out to celebrate LOVE & UNITY within the Caribbean. Music, however, is the glue that binds this Carnival and the many different neighboring islands together. You are almost guaranteed to hear the sweet sounds of Calypso & Soca (both originating from Trinidad & Tobago); Reggae (from the Jamaican culture); Kompa (from the Haitian culture) and also the latest in Hip Hop and R&B. This music generates such a frenzy and is definitely the underlying force that drives onlookers to witness masqueraders as they dance for miles down the Parkway. We all know that walking and sometimes running for your life (yeah, we're keepin' it real! LOL) can create quite an appetite, but not to worry, the sweet aroma of Caribbean food lingers every step of the way! If you ever wanted to have your first taste of signature dishes from the islands, this Carnival is the perfect place to begin. Vendors set up from the night before & work their stations all day providing the best in: brown stew chicken, jerk chicken, jerk pork, oxtail, curry goat, rice and peas, roast corn, roti, pelau (rice with meat), codfish fritters, butterfly shrimp kebabs, meat and veggie patties, bake (fried dough), ackee and saltfish, escovitch fish, fried plantain, carrot cake, pudding, sweet potato pie and various fruits from the Caribbean; beverages include rum punch, sorrel, ginger beer, domestic beer, and coconut water. We know...we're fat, but what a mouth-watering mouthful of flavor! While you digest your food on the sidelines, be sure to snap some shots of the vibrant carnival costumes worn by those individuals playing mas for your own enjoyment. As simple (individual costumes) or as extravagant (King & Queen costumes) as the costumes might be, know that designers work on sketches and specific masquerade (mas) camp themes all year round for self-gratification and more importantly, to compete for cash prizes There's an entire history behind this festival so bear with us as we drop a little bit more knowledge.
Labor Day, which originated in the 1800s, is currently a federal U.S. holiday created as "a day of rest for the working citizen". But for West Indians living in America, why rest when we can get paid for the day to celebrate? This particular carnival in Brooklyn actually begins the Thursday before Labor Day and runs into the weekend culminating with the parade on Eastern Parkway on that Monday. With festivities leading up to Labor Day including local parties (or "fetes") the first couple of days, a Kiddie Carnival followed by "Panorama" (an annual steelpan competition) on Saturday; a Dimanche Gras (Fat Sunday) celebration and the infamous J'ouvert - going into the early Monday morning hours, it's a no brainer why millions flock worldwide to witness Brooklyn's carnival firsthand. Five days of partying is a great way to close out the summer season. Why not spend this time among family, friends, and in my opinion, the most vibrant, creative, outgoing, hard-working people in Brooklyn: West Indians. You gotta love 'em! (more pics coming soon)
...Ghost
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