Mercredi des Cendres

The final day of Carnaval was by far the most beautiful. Joscelin, Youma, Joby and I drove to Saint-Pierre to spend the day at Joby's parents house. From 11h00 to 20h00, about 25 of Joby and Youma's relatives danced, ate, made music, and of course, chatted. I feel so honored to have been a part of this year's Mercredi des Cendres.

Joby's brothers and nephew crumble bread
to make the first layer of the meal

Lunch was probably my favorite part of the whole day. Not only was the food incredible (3 day old bread, sliced bananas, chicken, and spiced sauce), but it was prepared, eaten, and cleaned with so much community, tradition, and grace.

Joscelin, Joby, and other male family members
wait around the table, singing, drinking, chatting,
and generally looking hungry

For starters, women prepare the table and the plastic cloth (traditionally a banana leaf) so that the men can serve the food-- a layering process where no dishware is necessary. During this time everyone is singing and moving about the room. When the time comes to eat, everyone squeezes in around the table (standing) and places their left hand around the person to their left and then starts eating from the communal pile with their right. Traditionally, only men could eat this meal but the times are a-changing so now all folks can join in. This was such a beautiful experience. Talk about really being connected with what you're eating and those who you are eating with.

After the meal, everyone washed up and the men headed outside to start making more music while some women stayed behind to clean up. The music playing and dancing went on for hours (and was only interrupted to get more drinks or to stand and cheer on the Carnaval marching past. Carnaval in Saint-Pierre is much more intimate than what I experienced in Fort-de-France. The parade was generally made up of about 30 people, but the noise and energy that they made could have outdone a parade of 200.

Youma singing along

Joby rocking out after lunch