Source: Caribbean360
Jab Jab – Uniquely Grenadian
Jab Jab is a celebratory scene at SpiceMas where participants dance and parade through the city to a sound called the ‘Jab Jab’ riddim. The Jab Jab is iconically represented by masqueraders covered in black oil, horns, and chains. The history of this portrayal is especially important.
In fact, before emancipation, African slaves were not allowed to participate in Carnival, but this never stopped their own celebrations where they covered themselves in molasses, horns, and chains. According to Carribean360, this was “a representation of how the slaves saw their colonial masters complete with horns and chains”.
