Like the traditions of pastelle making and moving from house to house on Christmas day, many across T&T anticipate the tradition of taking to the hills of Paramin for the annual parang festival.On December 11, the spirit of the season proved to be alive and well, this despite the view of many that the spirit of a true Trini Christmas is dying.Paramin's ongoing legacy as the place to be for Christmas in Trinidad, lies in the expressions of love and warmth among those who reside in the area's enveloping valleys. On Saturday, as many made their way through the winding terrain, Paramin's mothers and fathers waited to welcome their visitors with open arms, and share with them the many wonders of a place that will always be treasured for its simple affections.
The annual event is billed as one that every parang lover should attend. Scores of people, young and old certainly made it their duty to be there and many saw it fit to include the children in the event, bringing teenagers and even toddlers along for the experience. Host for the evening, Adrian "Third Bass" Hackshaw made his presence felt, humouring his crowd with witty words, all the while, warming them up for each band that entertained.
Los Alumnos de San Juan easily captivated with a natural precision that couldn't be compared. Outfitted in red, a colour of the season, the frontline vocalists rolled their tongues expertly, synchronising their movements in such a way that many marvelled.At the end of the band's performance, a loud, cheerful applause was heard and CDs were even given to a few people in the crowd who were seen dancing away to the sweet parang music during the band's performance.
Continuing on a high note, soca-parang artiste Run'oman was presented to the crowd and as easily as he'd made himself seen on stage, so too did he send the crowd into vocal outbursts. His song, Ah Love Meh Parang, which enjoys good airplay on radio sations, went down very well with the crowd.
Amid the musical entertainment, patrons enjoyed a number of tasty food items, among them empanadas and arepas, bake and shark and even souse. Near the back of the large savannah-like venue, an elderly woman and a young girl sold bundles of seasoning-something that many often look forward to purchasing on any trip to Paramin.
Other bands for the night included, Rio Claro based parang band, La Familia and Paramin's very own, Los Paraminos, who sounded as well tuned as they looked, decked off beautifully in fuchsia pink.Late in the evening, at around 10 pm, there was a performance by a young artiste by the name of Tinman, who delivered another dose of humor with a soca parang he called, Eat De Cat.
His performance set the tone for a subsequent show by Third Bass, who delivered his soca parang hits, Cash For Christmas and What Dey Go Drink to a crowd, which by that time, had been enjoying every moment of the festival.Later, soca parang heavyweight, Kenny J performed, and while the event was billed to end at 11 pm, a little leeway was given by authorities, with things coming to an end shortly thereafter. Another Paramin parang experience takes place on December 16.
