ABSTRACT
Some of the most dynamic players in the venues of Trinidad Carnival featuring traditional masquerade are the Blue Devils. A relentless beating on biscuit tins, punctuated by unearthly yelps, marks their passage through the downtown streets of Port of Spain, as a palpable ripple of excitement runs through the spectators, many of whom will be plundered of their snacks or TT dollars by these comic/ horrific images of the demon world. Blue Devils are found throughout Trinidad in such towns as Arima and Point Fortin, but are especially popular in the mountain district of Paramin above the suburb of Maraval to the north of the capital. Blue Devils may be classified as a local variant of the historical character-type of the Jab Molassi (Molasses Devil).1 It must be borne in mind, however, that many Blue Devil players, past and present, consider the Jab Molassi "somethin' different." With the perversity of true folk practitioners, they often label themselves Jab Jab (a term which they shorten informally to "jab," a practice that will be followed in this chapter). The Jab Jab is, however, a totally different character-type according to the literature.2
