Thousands gathered in Brooklyn on Sept. 1 to dance before dawn in the annual J'ouvert parade.

Kicking off at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park under the cover of darkness, New Yorkers partook in the traditional carnival celebration, which saw legions of revelers march down Flatbush Avenue to Eastern Parkway and along Empire Boulevard.

Rubbing oil and throwing paint and powder at one another, partygoers twirled and frolicked in a rush of color and the dawn light. The oil and paint are meant to symbolize liberation while also defying the colonialism of the past.

Attendees smiled and cheered as they reached out to one another with oil-covered hands, bidding each other good tidings.

White t-shirts became soaked with oil, and faces were smeared with it as well. Steel bands pounded on their

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