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Parang
Parang is a Caribbean
folk music genre with its
origins in
Trinidad and Tobago. It is
closely associated with
Christmas festivities, and
traditionally has religious (Christian)
lyrics, often in
Spanish. Modern popular parang
music has absorbed various other musical styles, and often
features
English lyrics and North
American cultural influences. The word is derived from the
Spanish word parranda, meaning 'merry-making' or 'a group
of serenaders'.
Traditional parang music is
largely 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 and neighbors using whatever instruments are to hand.
Popular parang instruments include the
cuatro (a four-string small
guitar) and
maracas (locally known as
shak-shaks. Other instruments often used are
violin,
guitar,
claves (locally known as
toc-toc),
box bass (an indigenous
instrument),
flute,
mandolin,
bandolin,
caja (a percussive box
instrument), and
marimbola (an Afro-Venezuelan
instrument). In exchange for the entertainment, parranderos are
traditionally given food and drink:
rum or ponche a creme (a
form of alcoholic
eggnog).
While traditional
house-to-house
caroling tradition is still
practised by some small groups 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.
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