Parranderos will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany when they meet at St Anthony’s RC Church, Point Fortin on January 6.
The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Wise Men to worship the baby Jesus.
Hosted by the National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago, in partnership with St Anthony’s, parang aficionados, singers, and musicians will celebrate the feast, also known as Les Rois or Los Reyes (in Spanish), to end parang season 2023.
The celebration will begin with Mass at 5pm and at 8pm, the bands will perform in the church yard.
Appearances will be made by:
NCK Memorial Kindergarten
Los Alumnos de San Juan
La Divina Pastora
Sancouche
Voces Jovenes
Amantes de Parranda
Los Ruiseñores
Reflecting on the 2023 season, NPATT president Alicia Jagassar said the season was certainly one full of hope for parang music.
“At every event you could hear the heralding sounds of parang music,” she said. “It was also a season that saw parranderos supporting parranderos, and many young parranderos falling in love with artform as they got more involved in it.”
The President also thanked the media for their support, as they covered the various events. “It was heartwarming to have the media supporting our events which ensured that we remained in the public eye throughout the season,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to members of the NPATT Executive; the sponsors – NLCB, Eastern Properties Limited, National Flour Mills; Blue Waters, i95.5 and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts; parents; teachers; students; and the general public for showing concerted interest in the events which included La Razon de la Parranda – Parang Festival 2023; Mi Parranda – the Primary and Secondary Schools Competitions; and Mi Casa Parang Tent.
Sharing insight into NPATT’s plans for 2024, Jagassar said parranderos and supporters should look forward to the return of the National Parang Festival Competition. On hiatus for the past six years, parang bands should prepare for the revival of competitive musical excellence. Also, to return in 2024 are Mi Casa; a massive Junior Parang Festival; workshops in parang musicianship and Spanish; and the Instrumental Showdown Competition which was last hosted in 2022.
As for her wishlist for the new year, Jagassar maintains her hopes for land for NPATT’s headquarters. She also looks forward to more partnerships with cultural entities, as Naparima Bowl as well as the Tourism Company successfully partnered with the organisation in 2023. Finally, she hopes there will be meetings arranged with the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts so that he keeps apprised of NPATT’s upcoming activities.
“I also hope when he meets with us, these sessions are fruitful for his engagement and presence at our planned events,” Jagassar said.