Universal Collective Prayer-Celebrating the Divine Mother On Mother's Day!

Sunflowers and Butterfly in My Garden

Today is Mother's Day as marked in some parts of the world...North America and here in Trinidad. It comes a week after the procession of La Divina Pastora in Siparia, Trinidad and a week and a day after the First Saturday of the month of May.

If following my blog you will know I decided back in April to keep a pilgrimage every first Saturday to visit the statue of the Virgin Mary, as my first visit up to Mount St. Benedict here in Trinidad, was coincidentally during the Hindu celebration of Nav Ratri and on a First Saturday in April. So I decided I'd keep to this pilgrimage pledge and pay homage to the Virgin Mary in statue/murti form up at Mount St. Benedict every first Saturday for the next four months as I learnt this is a practice carried out by some Catholics. So my pilgrimage will end in July but it might be so nice I might decide to do it twice!:) That Mount surely seems to have a divine vibe going on up there...the peace, the presence...the awe that you feel when you bow to the statue of the Divine Mother in the church. I feel the vibe also has to do with the energy that is seeped there because so many devotees are there crying their woes out to the mother with such pure energy of devotion. I found out from my Brother in the sharing the Eucharist that is the Christ- Greg Kirk that it is OK to take photos within a church of the murtis...statues...but I've opted not too...it doesn't seem in good taste and it would only invade the sanctum of the devotees there...but the statue of the Virgin Mary there is so beautiful in form and art as well...a must see...I also take advantage of the fact that Catholics unlike Hindus have these padded thingys on which you can kneel onto in surrendering to the mother...so quite a comfy perk...but I have to get accustomed to having shoes on in there...I'd much prefer be barefooted...but I follow their ways when I'm in their place...I like the candles although just like deeyas in a way...just different in make up but same idea...and to me just as lovely to light and a practice to follow...

On this first Saturday visit I took my mother and my niece...three generations of women all in one...my niece was not so into it...or I feel she felt it but is at the age that she won't admit it and also still figuring so much out...but my mum feels exactly like me about the vibes up there and everything...she even says that after you leave the mountain after a certain distance away from it you can feel when you lose the vibe...and I say I'd have to agree...My mum thinks as me that she saw Jagadamba Mata when she bowed to the Virgin Mary statue and we had a talk on our drive down about how while pregnant in the nursing home, the nurse used to ask her (my mother) if she was Catholic when seen praying to the Virgin Mary statue and she explained no Hindu but same Mother... As we continued chatting about La Divina Pastora we both did not realise as my mother would later discuss with me that well the very next day the procession was on in Siparia...I was thinking for my 3rd 'first' Saturday I'd like to visit Siparia too...and my mum wished to join me...

You see in Siparia there is a statue in a church there that is seen as La Divina Pastora by Catholics but Hindus ever since have seen it as Suparee Mai or the Mother of Siparia...my mother told me the story that my great grandmother (her grandmother)...our family has roots in the area of Avocat and Siparia and well my great grandmother used to see the lady...according to the story my mother recalls the baby used to come out of a well...and then age over the day until the end of the day she was an old lady...and that happened everyday...the church was later built there...that's how her story is...passed down...Hindus considered the female form to be an incarnation of the Divine Mother in Hinduism some form of Shakti. But there are different versions to the story and here are some links about the story, the famous church and the Procession of La Divina Pastora in Siparia:
The Stories and the Festival
The Church

Daisy Voisin the legendary Parang queen was a staunch believer and worshipper of La Divina Pastora and a native of Siparia. Her funeral was done at the famous church and her famous parang band was named what else...La Divina Pastora...

So on this Mother's Day I celebrate the Divine Mother in the form of parang! Here she is Daisy Voisin singing about Trinidad's history...Spain, England, India...Independence...you hear in Spanish...


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL!

Advent Calendar:Thurs 18 Dec-Parang Music!

On this day of Advent I give you Parang Music Trini style. Parang music is indeed prayer in the form of song because in its purest form it describes the Nativity scene and the joyous birth of the Christ child. Here is an excerpt of a story kept at this link on Trinidad and Tobago's National Library site:

'By Abdelkader Marquez

Trinidad Guardian

December 25th 1989

Page 6

PARANG MUSIC WHICH CHARACTERISES THE CHRISTMAS SEASON OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO HAS ITS ROOTS IN VENEZUELA BUT IT HAS DEVELOPED ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS, WHILE ABSORBING COLOMBIAN AND EVEN CUBAN MUSIC IN ITS REPETOIRE.

SINCE A VENEZUELAN DIPLOMAT WROTE IN 1979 ABOUT PARANG, THE MUSIC HAS EVOLVED FURTHER WITH ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS, NEW COMPOSITIONS AND NEW INFLUENCES.

THIS ARTICLE EXPLAINS WHAT PARANG IS ALL ABOUT.

The word Parang represents the written equivalent to the phonic Parran, which in turn is an adulteration of the Spanish word Parranda.

Dr. Daphne Taylor explains that the Trinidadian has incorporated into the Caribbean language many words of Spanish origin by the simple procedure of eliminating from the word the last syllable or last letter.

For example, "guarap" for "guarapo" sugar cane juice; "lanap" for " la hapa" an extra portion; "alpagat" for "alpargata", sandal; and "taso" for "tasajo", dried meat; "planas" for "planaso" this term being frequently associated with regard to relations between the Trinidadian fishermen and the National Guards; and even the verb "mamaguy" for the Venezuelan idiom, "mamadera de gallo".

RELATED:

In Trinidad, Parang has various meanings, which are closely related between each other.

As a noun, it identifies a custom originating from Spanish tradition in the island, which consists in celebrations which take place from the last week in November until January 6th, even though the real season starts during the middle of October with the rehearsals by musical groups and ends after January 15th.

During this time, on radio, TV and at private parties, etc., nothing but parang is heard and this is expressed in the following Trinidadian piece: Parang por la manana.

Parang por la manana

Parang al mediodia

Parang a toda hora

Como si fuera comia

ORIGIN:

As an adjective, Parang depicts music, musical inistruments, dances, costumes, etc. all related to the season.

In the form of a verb, to parang means to wander, to travel merely for the sake of pleasure and without destiny.

Paranderos, of course, are all those who participate in the celebrations.

The origin of Parang is still a matter for discussion amongst its followers.

Some maintain that the custom was introduced by Spain during the Spanish occupation of Trinidad (1498-1797) and was adapted to the island's environment, influenced by its contact with Venezuela and kept alive by the conostant communication with that country.

Others believe that the custom came from Spain through Venezuela during the Spanish administration of both countries and continued after the capitulation, through continued communication with Venezuela.

In reality, these discussions are irrelevant since today, Trinidad Parang has its own national characteristics and is enjoyed by all despite the difficulty experienced by many in understanding the words sung in "local Spanish" to the rhythm of typical Venezuelan music, though recently, Colombian pieces such as The Caiman, La Mucura and even Cuban pieces such as El Muneco, Cuando Sali de Cuba and others, have been included in the repertoire of many of the Parang groups.

KEPT ALIVE

There can be absolutely no doubt about the influence Venezuela has had on Trinidad parang and to further compound this statement, one has only to see the names of the most popular parranderos - Paul Castillo, Clarita Rivas, Soltero Gomez, Silvestre Mata, Rita Guerra, Petronila Marcano, Marcelina Hernandez, Jose Pena, Jose Espinoza, Adrino Reyes, Luis de Leon, Casimiro Leon, Gloria Alcazar, Pedro Ramos, Paulina Lezama and many others and the same applies to the names of the various parang groups.

La Divina Pastora, La Sagrada Familia, Los Muchachos del Agua, Los Pavitos, La Libertad, Las Estrellitas, Ay Caramba, La Tropical, Los Caballeros, La Santa Familia, Los Hermanos Lara, La Estrella de Oriente, La Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Los Amigos, Los Campaneros, Rancho Quemado.

Parang was kept alive in the hearts of Trinidadians mainly through the efforts of the older generation who maintained the tradition of parang in the outskirts of Port of Spain.'

And I leave you with the voice of Daisy Voisin of La Divina Pastora who, now deceased, is an icon of Trinidad Parang during her lifetime and will be for a very long time! And for me her voice and the Parang music is synonymous with a 'True Trini Christmas'!Hope you enjoy it too!