Dear Editor,
The rich Guyanese Christmas traditions are ‘time honoured, and must be preserved – as we enter the Holiday Season.
Recently observing the local ‘Masquerade/ Santapee Bands on the streets – I am alarmed that this spectacle is now becoming ‘MasqueWeen’ when one is approached by flouncing dancers in terrifying halloween masks. Is the mask – a sign of shame or scare tactics to solicit offerings?
Yesteryear’s masquerades were key elements in our Christmas celebration and ‘we counted how many different bands one encountered during the season. The highlights were the ‘ pipes, fife and drums – the mad bulls – mother sally – and the cumfa flounce to retrieve tossed coins…all to such a standard that rich and poor gave willingly and handsomely as deserving rewards ‘for contributing to our Christmas Spirit.
With Carifesta 2008 coming up – the rich traditions must be preserved with some authenticity.
Yours faithfully,
Godfrey Chin
