Carnival has its own vocabulary and nobody stops to explain it to you at 4AM. Here's the working glossary — the words you'll actually hear on the road, in plain English.
The Essentials
- J'ouvert (joo-vay) — from French Creole 'jour ouvert', daybreak. The pre-dawn paint-and-powder opening of Carnival Monday
- Chip / chipping — the slow, shuffling road walk in time with the music that lets you keep moving for hours
- Mas — short for masquerade. 'Playing mas' is taking part in a band
- Pretty mas — the full-costume parade of Carnival Monday afternoon and Tuesday, feathers and beads
- Dutty mas — the older name for J'ouvert. 'Dirty mas' — paint, mud, oil, powder
- Band — the organised group you play with, moving behind its own music truck
- Section — a sub-group within a band, usually with its own colours or theme
On the Road
- Music truck — the flatbed carrying the sound system and DJ that the band chips behind
- Abir — the coloured powder thrown and dusted through the crowd on J'ouvert morning
- Water truck — exactly what it sounds like, and the most popular vehicle on the road after sunrise
- Wee wee truck — the mobile washrooms that follow the band
- Wine / wining — the rolling hip movement that is the fundamental dance of Carnival
- Palance — to jump, wave and generally lose control to a big soca tune
- Jump up — to dance with abandon in the street; also the noun for the whole event
- Rag — the cloth people carry and wave on the road, and wipe their eyes with
Feelings and States
- Tabanca — the ache after something is over. Post-Carnival tabanca is a recognised national condition
- Vibes — the atmosphere. 'The vibes was mad' is the highest review a fete can get
- Lime / liming — hanging out with no particular purpose. A national art form
- Bacchanal — drama, scandal and commotion, usually enjoyable
- Free up — to let go completely
- Doh play yuhself — don't embarrass yourself; behave
The Calendar
- Fete — a Carnival party. All-inclusive fetes cover food and drinks; cooler fetes, you bring your own
- Band launch — the event where a band reveals its costumes and opens registration for the year
- Breakfast party — an early-morning fete, typically running from dawn
- Carnival Monday / Carnival Tuesday — the two days of mas, immediately before Ash Wednesday
- Ash Wednesday — the national comedown. Beaches, quiet, recovery
- Panorama — the national steelband competition running through the season
- Soca — the music that drives all of it. Power soca for the jump, groovy soca for the wine
Words About the Food and Drink
- Doubles — curried channa in fried bara. The national breakfast, and the correct thing to eat after J'ouvert
- Puncheon — very high-proof rum. Handle with respect
- Roti — the other thing you'll eat at 3AM
- Corn soup — the road food of the Carnival season
Where It Comes From
Most of this vocabulary comes out of Trinidadian English Creole, with French Creole, African and Indian roots layered through it — the same history that produced Carnival itself. Learning a few words isn't a party trick; it's the fastest way to stop being a spectator on the road.
Quick answers
- What does chipping mean at Carnival?
- Chipping is the slow, shuffling road walk in time with the music that masqueraders use to keep moving behind the music truck for hours without exhausting themselves.
- What does tabanca mean?
- Tabanca is the ache of longing after something is over. Post-Carnival tabanca — the flat feeling after Ash Wednesday — is a recognised national condition in Trinidad.
- What is Abir?
- Abir is the coloured powder thrown and dusted through the crowd on J'ouvert morning, alongside paint and mud.
- What is dutty mas?
- 'Dutty mas' — dirty mas — is the older name for J'ouvert, referring to the paint, mud, oil and powder that masqueraders cover themselves in before dawn.
Keep reading
What Is J'ouvert? The Meaning, the History and Why We Play in Paint
J'ouvert is the 4AM paint-and-powder street ritual that opens Trinidad Carnival. Here's what the word means, where it came from, and why the mud and paint matter.
Your First J'ouvert: An Hour-by-Hour Guide to What Actually Happens
Nobody tells first-timers what the morning actually feels like. Here's J'ouvert hour by hour — from the 2AM alarm to the walk home covered in paint.
J'ouvert vs Pretty Mas: How Carnival Monday and Tuesday Actually Fit Together
One Carnival, three very different experiences in 36 hours. Here's how J'ouvert, Monday mas and Carnival Tuesday differ — and which ones you should play.