“I give him bread and ham, together with a pastelle
ginger beer, ponche de creme and sorrel,
a glass of local wine went to his head,
he turned to me and said,
Oh yes, Trini christmas is the best!”
Lyrics from a popular Christmas, song in Trinidad. When you think of Christmas, you might think of snow, and reindeer pulling a fat guy around in a sleigh, but a traditional Trini Christmas is different from those of colder countries.
Sure we still have the ham, eggnog and fake Saint Nick’s in abundance, but I can’t deny the extral special feeling of ‘Christmas-ness’ that comes with a Trini Christmas.
Trini Christmas means parang. Parang is a type of music played mostly at Christmas time in Trinidad and the lyrics are mainly Spanish because it orignates in either Columbia or Venezuela, that’s in dispute.
Parang, comes from the Spanish word ‘Parranda’ meaning merry making or a group of serenaders. That’s how parang is sung, by a group of people called paranderos, with special musical instruments as well.
A cuatro, which is known in other Latin-american music looks like a small guitar. Maracas or shacks shacks are small hollow balls made from wood, which are filled with tiny beads and attached to a stick, these are shaken in time to the singing of the paranderos.
Trini food is different for Christmas as well, our version of eggnog is called Ponche de Creme (pronounced punch-ah-crem) and is sweeter, creamier and of course, more alcoholic than your typical store bought eggnog. That’s because Ponche de Creme is mainly homemade.
None alcoholic drinks are sorrel and ginger beer. Sorrel is a drink made from boiling the flowers of the sorrel plant which blooms around Christms time and is red in colour. Ginger beer, although it sounds alcoholic is made from grated ginger that is set with rice and spices and left for a few days before being served.
Pastelle or Tamale is a dish made from corn meal, stewed minced beef, olives and raisins and wrapped and steamed in banana leaves that has Mexican origin.
Local wines ranging from aloes to star fruit, strong fruit cakes, turkey and hams of all varities are also popular Trini Christmas food.
Christmas in Trinidad is all about family and friends. Aside from the food, there are also Christmas traditions that we Trinis observe.
Parang is not only a type of music, but it’s also a verb. To parang someone’s house can mean to go with paranderos to sing for them, much like caroling, but it can also mean to visit friends and eat their food. It is common Trinidadian custom to stock your cupboards well in case someone comes to parang your house.
Relatives that you have not seen for the year will show up for Christmas and people who have not seen the inside of a church for a year, will at Christmas time.
Although this year I won’t be experiencing an authentic Trini Christmas, the good thing about Trini’s is that we’re good improvisors.
There’s a Trini saying that goes, “If you don’t have mammy, pappy will do,” and that’s just what I’m intending. With some good Trini food, some sweet parang music and some relatives, I plan on having as close to a Trini Christmas as can I get in London.
