J’ouvert is a traditional Carnival celebration in many countries throughout the Caribbean. In Trinidad & Tobago it is the official start of carnival, at dawn on the Monday preceding Lent.
The name J’Ouvert originates from the French words “jour ouvert,” meaning daybreak or morning, and signals the start of Carnival.
However in America J’Ouvert is usually the day before the street carnival and more associated with paint, water & powder than the ‘daybreak’ of the Caribbean.