The procession is creolized with elements inspired by African spirituality and satirical performance of pre-Lenten celebration, but playing Jab during J’ouvert also has roots in enslavement. For Kered Clement, a United Kingdom–born journalist currently residing in Grenada, Jab is a structured ancestral practice. We’re having fun, but this is serious business.”Outside of its ancestral heritage, J’ouvert is also accessible: Costumes aren’t required, so participants are encouraged to wear old clothing. “When I talk to folks about Jab Jab, they felt that spiritual connection even more deeply,” says Sherine Andreine Powerful, DrPH. Ninety percent of her research participants were Black women who described their involvement as a “collective social self-care ritual,” she shares.