Parang

In Trinidad, traditional parang music is largely performed around Christmastime, travel from house to house in the community, often joined by friends, neighbours, and family, using whatever instruments are at hand. Popular parang instruments include the Venezuelan cuatro (a small, four-string guitar) and maracas (locally known as chac-chacs). Other instruments often used are violin, guitar, claves (locally known as toc-toc), box bass (an indigenous instrument), tambourine, mandolin, bandol, caja (a percussive box instrument), and marimbola (an Afro-Venezuelan instrument). In exchange for the entertainment, parranderos are traditionally given food and drink: pasteles, pastelle, sorrel, rum and Ponche Crema (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. Today, parang is especially vibrant in Trinidad and Tobago communities such as Paramin, Lopinot, and Arima. ==Varieties==

Traditional parang music includes a variety of song types: • aguinaldo or serenal: relating to the stories of the nativity of Christ similar to European carols played in the Canary Islands and Andalusia; • guarapo: a secular song, often with passages of improvised lyrics where content and length vary according to the skill of the lead singer; • estribillo: a lively call-and-response style song; • Rio Manzanares: a Venezuelan waltz which celebrates the different aspects of the Manzanares River of Cumaná, Venezuela; • joropo: similar in style to the Spanish waltz; • galerón; a form of vocal music indigenous to Trinidad, influenced by Indian rhythms and sometimes sung in Hindustani. This fusion forms chutney parang. == References ==