Crazy during his performance. Photo: Rolph IL Warner

A big part of the traditional T&T Christmas festive expressions has always been parang groups and or groups of friends and relatives moving from house to house in a village, sharing music, drinks, food, fun and more. So much merriment is derived from that practice of small groups moving from one home to another and another—and then another. Try now to compare and comprehend that experience, to several villagers from different villages, travelling from their various individual locations across the country, and gathering at one central location. Now exercise your imagination further, to envision the widespread variations of food-preparations and music to be concentrated in one place!
 
That and much more is anticipated when the first-of-its-kind Christmas In The Village event takes place on December 5, at Queen’s Royal College, located at the western end of the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain. The villages of Paramin, Lopinot, Arima, Brasso-Seco, Sangre Grande and Siparia will all congregate at the venue, which will be transformed into an enormous village setting, befitting the concept of the occasion. What’s cooking in the Village? Organisers Village Friends say patrons can excite their taste-buds with pitch-oil pan ham, wild-meat with provision, pastelles, paime, roast beef in mushroom sauce, longtime bread, roasted suckling pig and braised ham. Stuffed chicken breast, festive rice, pigeon peas in coconut milk, sponge cake and black cake are also among the extensive outlay of mouth-watering dishes that will be available for Christmas celebrants in the Village. 

If you are already salivating, add some tasty dashes of humorous anecdotes from respected comedian/storyteller/actor Paul Keens-Douglas to that menu. Keens-Douglas will be the Village host. Now mix all the preceding ingredients with the music of parang soca king Scrunter and parang soca innovator Crazy, the Lara Brothers, Los Alumnos de San Juan, Carib Santa Rosa Parang Group, Voces Jovenes, Los Parranderos de UWI, 2009 Panorama champions Silver Stars Steel Orchestra and the St James Tripolians, with DJs Roger Simpson and Crosby Sounds. Funds accrued from the public’s support at this chance-in-a-lifetime event will be utilised for the refurbishing of buildings on the compound of the century-old Queen’s Royal College.

Tickets are available at QRC’s Box Office: 622-1671 or Savvy Traders Ltd, 674-9065 or 372-6232.
Crosby’s North & South, Flowers 137 Tragarete Road, Simon’s Music Supplies, St Vincent St, Port-of-Spain, Kenny’s Sports Centre and Sincerely Yours in Grand Bazaar. According to Village Friends, general admission to the “village happening”, which starts at 5 pm and goes until midnight, costs $150. VIP (Inclusive) guests paying $350 will be entitled to a dinner plate consisting of three meats and at least four sides, together with six drinks–three premium and three non-premium.