Go paranging before Christmas

I finally went Parang last night. It was an event staged by a Steelpan group called All Stars. The name of the event was Parang, Pan and Pork! Oh yes…a parang group, a steelpan band and a pot of pork lol…perfect ingredients for a Trini lime!

It was amazing to see such a wide span of individuals in terms of age all enjoying themselves to the same music! There were seats provided but needless to say, they were not used much! I watched in amusement as old men twirled young ladies around the floor in time to the sound of the chac chacs. You really can’t understand much of what is being said because most Parang songs are sung in Spanish but they certainly sound good and it definitely didn’t stop us from enjoying themselves. Besides, when the ‘classic’ Soca Parang songs were sung, everybody knew the words, Spanish or not. They Parang band that performed was called Salsa Picante….they sure brought the pepper!

A couple of switches to the steelpan band had us in a frenzy. I’m DEFINITELY going to learn to play the steelpan next year…it’s going on my list soon! You could play any song on a steelpan and it sounds good. The group were doing a whole lot of ‘stunts’ during their performance. One time one of the guys turned the pan upside down and was playing on the bottom on the steelpan!!! They were jumping up, doing spins, beating each other pans, switching positions during playing….it was AMAZING ENERGY!! They played Parang, Soca, Classic Christmas songs, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross…the variety was endless. Our national instrument certainly made me so proud last night!

Now nothing brings Trinis together like food, so to top all of that great excitement off, there were what we call ‘typical liming food’. The food was great. Of course the pork was the highlight. You could have gotten it stewed or done geera style!! Bake and shark, Pastelles, and Corn Soup were also on the menu. Followed by Rum, Ponche Crema and Sorrel to wash it down! Did I mention the food was great?!

All in all the true Parang experience was worth it!!! And I’m so going to go again ^{(once my schedule permits)} before the end of the year! It was such a cultured night! Denyse Plummer also performed. She’s referred to as the Queen of Parang and Calypso. She performed for more than 30mins. She even did my favourite of her song! The tourists in the crowd had a blast with that one!! Speaking of which, there were alot of tourist, all the way from South Africa!

I can’t believe all this is what I’ve been missing all the time!

The term ‘Parang’ is the Trinbagoian interpretation derived from the Spanish word parranda. Parranda is actually the action of merrymaking and also refers to the group of carousers who serenade. However, in Trinidad and Tobago, parang came to mean the songs that were sung.

Parang is a popular folk music of Trinidad and Tobago and is traditionally performed around Christmas time, when singers and instrumentalists (collectively known as the parrandero) travel from house to house in the community, often joined by friends, family and neighbours using whatever instruments are at hand or similarly things that can be used as instruments (e.g. glass bottles and spoons).

Now, the original expression in Spanish that the word parranda was used in, was ‘andar de parranda’, which in modern Trinidadian vernacular is ‘to go paranging’, meaning not only merrymaking in the original sense, but also ‘liming’ or enjoying oneself, with or without music, moving from place to place with no time limit in mind. This tradition is done mainly late at night, where part of the fun was waking the inhabitants of the household from their beds. In exchange for the entertainment, parranderos are traditionally given traditional Christmas food and drink: pastelle, sorrel, rum and ponche crema (a form of alcoholic eggnog).

While traditional house-to-house caroling (or paranging) is still practised by some small groups (done mostly on Christmas Eve) and larger organized groups, modern parang music has also developed a season of staged performances called Parang fiestas, held from October through to January each year, culminating in a National Parang competition organized by the National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NPATT).

Parang is a great part of our Christmas ritual and has carried it’s own culture with it. Parang now encompasses specific music, instruments, food, dance and even dress. I’d love to go Paranging (as in the competition) to see the groups compete. Though, it doesn’t carry a competitive air, it simply seems like one big lime. So this Christmas season, I’m going to make it my duty to attend a Parang session in one of the few areas that still host this event! It’s high time I experience this first-hand. It should be great!