NPATT hosts Les Rois in Point Fortin

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 (NPATT), in partnership with St Anthony’s, parang aficionados, singers, and musicians will celebrate the feast, also known as Les Rois or Los Reyes, to end parang season 2023, a media release said.

The celebration will begin with Mass at 5 pm, and at 8 pm the bands will perform in the churchyard.

Reflecting on the 2023 season, NPATT president Alicia Jaggasar said it was full of hope for parang music.

“At every event you could hear the heralding sounds of parang music. It was also a season that saw parranderos supporting parranderos, and many young parranderos falling in love with the artform as they got more involved in it,” Jaggassar said in the release.

She 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 the NPATT executive; the sponsors – NLCB, Eastern Properties Ltd, National Flour Mills; Blue Waters, i95.5 and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, parents, teachers, students; and the 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.

Among NPATT’s plans for 2024, Jagassar said, is 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 event, the release said.

Also to return in 2024 are Mi Casa, workshops in parang musicianship and Spanish, and the Instrumental Showdown Competition, last hosted in 2022.

Jaggasar is still hoping to acquire land for NPATT’s headquarters in 2024. She is also looking forward to more partnerships with cultural entities – as was done with the Naparima Bowl and the Tourism Company, which successfully partnered with the organisation in 2023.

Finally, she hopes there will be meetings with the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts to update him onNPATT’s upcoming activities, the release said.

“I also hope when he meets with us, these sessions are fruitful for his engagement and presence at our planned events,” Jaggassar said.

The following bands will perform at Les Rois:

• NCK Memorial Kindergarten

• Los Alumnos de San Juan

• La Divina Pastora

• Sancouche

• Voces Jovenes

• Amantes de Parranda

• Los Ruiseñores