Believe it or not when I first started playing mas I would only play on Tuesday. Monday mas was something I attempted once after playing j’ouvert and had to leave the band at the Savannah near Q.R.C. since I was so tired I could not move another inch!Having a greater love for j’ouvert at that time I sacrificed playing Monday mas in order to enjoy j’ouvert in all its rum soaked, mud and paint glory! Friends of mine thought I was crazy to pay for a costume for ONLY one day, I thought I was not missing much since Monday mas to me was only half day and I had a much better time at j’ouvert.
Well, when I met my husband to be he insisted that I try Monday mas since I had no idea what I was missing. My girlfriend, who also slighted Monday mas in the past for dirty mas in Arima, and I decided to take his advice that year and journey into new territory. That year we both skipped j’ouvert and having no inclination to wear our costumes, we got our matching Monday gear of hot shorts and a tank top, and I think we wore our neckpieces as the stipulated “wear part of your costume rule”.
The first thing that made me seemingly regret the decision to play Monday mas was hitting the streets when the sun was up. Now, on Carnival Tuesday I usually leave home as the sunrises and it is nice and cool out; having to journey into Port of Spain in the blazing sun to meet the band had me sucking my teeth all the way. The next thing is we were late to meet the band and had to walk all the way back up St. James to meet our section, having gone to the meeting point and they had already left! In the back of my mind I had already given up the whole idea and kept threatening to abandon playing mas that day since I was not having fun.
My then boyfriend (later to become husband) kept encouraging us to just try it for a while and if we still were not enjyoing it we could leave in two hours or so. Eventually we met the band, found our section and had a drink after racing to catch up with them. My first impression was that many people were in costume, sans headpiece, and that the band was moving at a much freer pace than on Tuesday. I like the fact that we kept moving, and after a couple more Johnny Walker and coconut water I started enjoying the fact that the streets were not as congested as they are on Tuesday making it easier for me to “free up” in my section.
There were less people in the band as well, so it was like one big, moving party as we made our way easily through Port of Spain on our way to the Savannah. All my complaints about the broiling sun went up in mist when they brought out the cool zone! Usually I avoid cool zones on Tuesday, not wanting the mist to dampen my feathers, but I had no costume to worry about on Monday and I was all up in that cool zone! The two hour testing period I was giving Monday mas flew by and before I knew it we were headed to the Savannah, congestion free!!! That was something to experience, not having to wait or line up to hit the Savannah stage, what freedom! We floated across the Savannah and hit that stage with mad abandon. There was no “getting in your section”, we all melded into one, huge party and I kept going back and forth on the Savannah stage until I was exhausted!
By the time I made it to the car park after the long day, I was converted, Monday mas was the greatest!!!!! And what made it even sweeter was contrasting my virgin Monday mas experience to the next day, having to make my way through crowded streets, fight up with “stormers” trying to infiltrate the band, staying at a standstill for HOURS on Charlotte street and then the long wait, slowly inching into the Savannah. The experience was like night and day; that was when I realized on Tuesday we don’t spend as much time “playing mas” as waiting to cross the stage! Monday was when we had the opportunity to really play mas and I was mad at myself for missing out all those years.
Now, I won’t think of NOT playing Monday mas, to me it’s much better than Tuesday! Don’t get me wrong, Tuesday mas is when I get to put on my pretty costume, come out in full glory and get my high on the Savannah stage in front of the spectators and cameras. But Monday mas is about freedom; freedom from worrying about your costume, freedom from the crowds and freedom to move! So for those who might be on the fence about trying Monday mas, thinking if it is worth it, take the plunge and just do it! It gives you the best of both worlds for Carnival and with all this money we are paying for costumes these days, get your money’s worth! See you on the road on Monday; I am changing it up a bit and will be in “costume” for 2007!!!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
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23 comments:
Morning saucy, Girl! Monday mas is da BOMB!!! i agree with u as i also feel that i have ah better time on Monday..Freeness fuh so gyal. Some peeps say i'm ah beast b/c i usually come out for jourvert, head back home just b 4 the sun rises, get about 1-2 hrs sleep, then head back to pos to meet de band about 11, 12 or 1 o'clock and stay with de band till about 7 pm..so ah getting ah little of everything. Tuesday is from about 10 am cause mih ass does be tired from monday and ah going straight till de music truck switch off girl...so come ash wed my ass cyar go to wk for 2 days..i sleep all day ash wed. one year i got up thursday morning thinking it was wed. lol lol. But all in all i make sure and get mih $$ worth..pace fuh so
Good morning Saucy,
I have to agree with you, I never missed a boy scouts party and the jouvert jump up with Xtatic. I was also a BLUE DEVIL and everything else that 3 Canal brought out.But now my Monday mas is a priority, not to mention those days I paid $100US for a costume compared to the $400 plus today. I intend to get my money's worth.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my US bloggers.
Saucy,
I have a question, and if you haven't heard anything, I was wondering if you could try and find out.
This year for caribana, I saw a friend of mine sporting a tribe tank top (she had played with them in Feb) Not sure if it came in a goody bag. And I was wondering if we will be getting any kind of Monday wear from Tribe. I know the ladies probably have their outfits organised already. but I was wondering if we getting a t-shirt or If I need to find something to wear on Monday.
Thanks
trini in toronto TRIBE did not give us any Monday wear this year but I know you can purchase TRIBE tank tops and t-shirts from the mas camp. Lets hope, for those who really want it, they provide a FREE t-shirt or tank top! I mean, for the money we are paying they can more than throw that it in the goody bag :D
anon you real good! I don't have that stamina to do j'ouvert AND Monday mas but I admire you too bad!Sleeping for two days straight after mas LOL, I am usually up early on Ash Wednesday..I have never slept late!
xena I was all up in BLUE too, but that wa madne that year!!!After boy scouts stormers were waiting for the band and trying to grab paint from you to join in the band..LOL. Madness I tell you!
Mornin Saucy! Girl, you real wake me up wid dis post and put me in one splendid mood eh! Hmph.
Well, dis year, sad to say, I missed Monday mas because I sprained my ankle Jouvert mornin in Red Ants (ah know allyuh fed up hear de story by now). Meh right ankle went down in a pothole and I heard de "pop". My ankle was too swollen to move. I thought I broke it for sure, but luckily it was just a sprain. My mom advised that it was best I stay home and keep de ankle lifted if i planned to out on Tuesday. So I had to watch Monday mas on de TV!!! Yuh talk about CRY I cry!!!! After hugging everyone, wishing dem a safe and great time, I was left alone at home. And because we stayed right there on Park Street by de Savannah, I could hear all de baccanal in de background! That was pure torture for me. All dese months of workin out, anticipation for Carnival...and I home! PRESSHA!
After awhile, I couldnt take it no more. I put on my Monday outfit, put on meh mocassin boots..yes, slide it on over meh swollen ankle....(real pain) and start to wine in front de TV. I even say, hmmm, I wonder if I could hobble and try and fine de band, but I had no clue where Tribe was at 3 pm and going out by myself would be extremely risky and unsafe. I could barely walk, much less run if somebody try to harraass meh.
Writing it about, I want to bawl again. Because, even though I tried hard to make up for it on Tuesday, I'm still left with a slight incomplete feeling about my Tribe 2006 experience...and I still feel a pang of hurt when I see de Tribe Monday pics and hear de girls talkin about how much MORE fun dey had on Monday.
To this day, meh ankle still have a slight pinch of pain...but me AIN business! Yuh see nex year Monday mas, will not catch me home. Nex year, I makin up for dis year papa, so is real reall FREENESS!!
Wonderful post Saucy!
If yuh notice in de little icon pic next to my post, I am standin on meh left leg reachin to get a drink by de mobile bar....de sprained ankle was de right leg!
Wow,Caisoqueen you are a real trooper! I can imagine the pain you were in on Tuesday and how much it hurt to see people enjoying themselves while you home on Monday nursing a sprained ankle. By the way, you plan on playing j'ouvert next year?
Well, I bandaged up de ankle real good, and amazingly, the mocassin boots were the PERFECT foot gear for me to keep de ankle in place. Actually, I was in pain Tuesday morning, walking to meet the band. After I ate breakfast, I took some Aleve. After about my fourth Johnny/Coconut water...i wasn't studyin de pain too much again, hehehe. And when it was time to cross de stage, meh girlfriend had me shoulder to shoulder, so that i wouldnt get trampled. And mind you I got to cross about 3 times hehehe! I have to show yuh de jump ah did wid one foot..funny too bad.
YES, I plan to play j'ouvert nex year, probably wid Red Ants again, or maybe ah nex band. I even planning my j'ouvert outfit!
Well I have seen pregnant women playing mas, and once I saw someone on crutches (that take the cake!) but one year my girlfriend fell of a bike coming down a hill a week before Carnival, bang up her head and face so much so she had to get stitches and sold her costume because she was too bruised to play!! Well, I have to add that by force I also sold my costume and kept her company at home :S But never me again! I was home alone since everybody went to town and I refused to step foot in Port of Spain if I was not playing mas, and I sit down infront the TV sour watchingmy section cross the stage!
Looking back at it now all she needed was a pair of shades and she was good to go,I know if it were me I was not letting a few bruises keep me from mas *kock on wood*. And I will NEVER sell my costume to keep a friend who can't play company again...that is REAL sour vibes!
Well be careful for j'ouvert next year, walk with some bandages to wrap the ankle just on case.
Saucy, death and all could not keep my friend from playing mas..Her brother died on Carinval monday one yr from illness..she played mas on tuesday with us..dat is what he would of wanted anyway..he done dead and gone. she had a good time but i knew she was feeling ahow at times..we kept her spirits up and she eventually had a good time with us. She is ah trooper to she heart girl. I tell u..dis mas ting real infectious...ah love it alll
Wha! Saucy you good! You're a damn good friend to do that! I'm stunned! Not one of my friends blink an eye to stay home wid me...not even mummy hehehehe! But I didn't want nor expect dem to do that.
Yes, I pray dat we all have ah safe carnival nex year yes. I actually saw two people mash up dey foot on Tuesday. One was an older lady, she stepped in a pothole, and when i saw that wince in her face, I felt it for her too. And then she stumbled when she tried to walk on it and de pain!! Lawd, ah feel real bad for her. Cuz i know dat was de end of her carnival! And it was early in day too eh..hmph!
Yep, I'll surely be careful. I plan to wrap de ankle as I'm planning to wear some ole boots i have for J'ouvert, de orange three fringe boots on Monday and I still looking for some comfy gold boots for Fireman on Tuesday.
Girl she "guilted" me into selling my costume, plus the person who wanted to buy hers was looking for another one so throwing in mine guaranteed her a sale...I have to admit it was nice getting back all that money in my hand (we had already collected the costume when the accident happened) but I that feeling was short lived! To date I still regret not playing mas that year :(
ugh..i could imagine! well, yep, de good ting is yuh got your money back eh. But i feelin yuh regret girl..ah well, wha yuh do? Did your friend do sumting as for you as a gesture of u being there for her?
well I gonna be the odd 1 out for this comment but I actually prefer Tues mas. I find Mon to be boring! Of course I won't wear any piece of my costume on Mon & that makes me feel like I don't even belong in the band :( I LOVE getting all dolled up for Tues! I LOVE seeing everyone in full costume on Tues. Seeing people in Mon wear or only bits & pieces of their costume is just blahhhhhh to me. I don't care if there is more freedom on the road for Mon, to me it lacks the excitement factor of Tues. Even thru all the crowds on Tues I always manage to see a ton of people that I know playin mas. On Mon I never see anyone that I know! B-O-R-I-N-G I'll be happy playin j'ouvert, resting up on the beach on Mon & pretty mas on Tues :)
But amprincess to me the majority of people in TRIBE wears most of their costume on Monday.I see more people on Monday than on Tuesday actually and I really enjoy the two days! I will gladly skip j'ouvert for Monday mas :)
Anon with the friend dead brother have me in stitches yes. I ain't know how I woulda handle that one. I would dead if I intended to and couldn't play mas. Anti-socialness woulda kick straight away. Don't want to see, hear, be around anything carnival, i'd be too vex.
I don't know how this j'ouvert & playing mas going to work out nah, but I not lapsing, I'm doing it all baby doing it ALL!
I'm flying back on the Thurs so all I hope is that I don't start to snore on the people plane.
good afternoon everybody
boy lemme tell yuh ah love meh mas both days. mon and tues mas is definitely not the same. both have their unique experience and i like that.
ever since i play mas it was harts first i have always played mas mon and tues. i tried jouvert once wid an ole boyfiend at that time and it was alright but for me night mas cyar compare to pretty mas. it rehl different. i prefer meh pretty mas.
i played w/tribe for the first time this year 2006, and when ah tell yuh ah had a ball both days. it was one of meh best mas experience ever. no lie. hence the reason why ah playing w/tribe again this year.
ah excited too bad. ah hope we all have a safe and happy carnival. have a good thursday everyone and stay safe.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Well saucy ah had done post before on your blog about how to go thru from J'ouvert to Monday mas!! For some reason, I cannot give up meh J'ouvert. That euphoria I get in meh heart when yuh see yuh have yuh real close friends and yuh chippin and yuh see de sun come up and yuh head nice - oh gosh ah makin mehself cry even now, fus that does make meh happy.
But I too love meh mas on both days. I don't think the season would be complete if ah only went on Tuesday. Is ah running joke in meh crew - our guy friends does ask ask what time we will be ready and then add 3hours before they come for we cause all the girl usually stay by me in Diego about 5-7 of us so yuh know is pressure to make sure all the pretty dolli looking dey best :) Tuesday we does be up at 5:30-6am and cyah leave de house till 8:30 - 9 am.
Monday is de free up day - just have a time day, drink a Johhny& coconut water or a LLB day. I really LOVE Carnival, oui.
Sometimes ah does feel sorry for de rest of the world cause dey not Trini :)
i had much more fun on Monday 2006
I had that "time" on Tuesday!!!
And you know that the Monday Kit organised and starch already!
I might play j'ouvert this year. I've never experienced playing mas in mud and paint before. I'm itching to play that. I've always just roll over in my bed then wake up to play Monday mas. If I'm gutsy enough I'll do it all and sleeeeeeeep like crazy on Ash Wed. :-O
Shandy j'ouvert is sweet, especially when you covered in mud or paint try it and see hwo yuh like it...be a trooper, take a lil 2 hour nap and be back on the road for Monday mas! :D
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