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Guyana's rich culture has its roots in its colorful history

Mashramani, Guyana's most colorful and distinctive festival, takes place on Feb. 23, Republic Day. The name is derived from an Amerindian word meaning "the celebration of a job well done," and 'Mash' as the festival is often called, is a celebration indeed.

Guyanese living abroad often arrange their yearly visits to coincide with the weeklong carnival, which incorporates steel band competitions and sporting events. Masquerade bands appear in the streets and in competitions at National Park, performing dance routines that are a vivid reminder of Guyana's African heritage. Traditional masquerade characters include the bouncer like Mad Bull, Mother Sally (a parody of a plantation lady); flouncers, who beg for money using intricate dance moves; and stick-fighters. Calypsos laced with barbed social commentary are an integral part of 'Mash' celebrations, which culminate in the coronation of the king or queen for the year. The Hindu community celebrates the joyous spring festival Phagwah in March/April (the exact date depends on the lunar cycle). Phagwah commemorates the triumph of good over evil and begins with the burning of the symbolic Holika. Hindus traditionally wear white on Phagwah day and, in one of the festival's highlights, celebrants spray each other with abeer, a red dye symbolizing the blood of the tyrannical King Kiranya, who in Hindu lore was ordered to death by his son Prince Prahalad. Hindus and non-Hindus alike shower powder, perfume and water on family, friends and neighbors. Easter is celebrated in the traditional way by Guyanese Christians, but it also coincides with the arrival of the kite season. Kite enthusiasts set about building their creations a few days before Easter, in preparation for Easter Monday's grand fly-off at Georgetown's Seawall. The prime kite-flying arena with its strong winds and absence of all shapes and colors is quite a thing to behold. Easter is also the time of the Rupununi Rodeo, the annual display of traditional skills by the Amerindian vaqueros of Guyana's southwestern savannah. Held in Lethem, the district capital, the rodeo features bronco and wild horse riding and roping. It is now marketed as a major tourist event in the Rupununi. An African Festival in National Park marks Emancipation Day on Aug. 1, preceded by a libation ceremony in Parliament on the eve of the celebrations. Divali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, is observed toward the end of the year with the lighting of deyas at family homes and a lighted vehicle parade featuring characters from the Ramayana and other holy scriptures. Muslim festivals such as Eid-ul-Fitr, the culmination of the month of Ramadan; Eid-ul-Azah, the festival of sacrifices; and Youman Nabi, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Mohammed, are moveable feasts, their dates set by the lunar calendar, and are celebrated with due solemnity. Amerindian festivals such as St. John and the Hummingbird Festival, marking the cassava harvest, are celebrated in some indigenous communities. In September, which is designated Amerindian Month, Guyana's indigenous communities welcome visitors for exhibitions and cultural performances. The beauty and politics of Guyana is captured in its music "There's a land just off the Atlantic, Land of jungles, waterfalls and sweet scenery. Where poor people farm the lands and hunt the waters and all live in peace and harmony. This is Guyana, beautiful Guyana,"goes the first stanza of Hilton Hemerding's song, "Beautiful Guyana." As in painting and literature, the dramatic physical landscape of Guyana has inspired plenty of music about the land itself. There are songs with patriotic themes, like "Way Down Demerara" and "My Guyana Eldorado." There is a considerable body of folk music, much of it associated with ceremonies like the queh-queh, an African pre-nuptial ritual, or centered on the masquerade. At Mashramani, fife bands play traditional music in the streets. Over the years, Guyanese musicians have made their contribution as well in the area of popular music. From the 1960s, King Fighter held his own on the Caribbean calypso stage with songs such as "B.G Plantain." The Tradewinds were a popular calypso band of the 1950s and 1960s along the lines of Barbados's Merrymen. Other figures include Eddie Hooper, Johnny Braff, Lionel Abel, Ivor Lynch, Rita Forrester, Kenny Lawrence and Mac and Katie Kissoon. In the 1970s, Mark Holder and Eddy Grant came to prominence in England. Grant achieved particular success with songs such as Irie Harry and Electric Avenue. Today Eddy Grant is a successful Barbados-based producer and one of the key players in the Caribbean music arena; his re-issues of vintage calypso on his ICE label have been crucial in the worldwide promotion of Caribbean music. Also largely popular in Guyana is chutney, party music derived from traditional Indian folk songs and laced with calypso and soca. Local chutney singer Terry Gajraj is one of its principal practitioners, performing in Trinidad, Surinam, North America and England. A potpourri of cuisine India, Africa, the Amerindian, China and Portugal, England and North America - they have all contributed to Guyana's distinctive national cuisine. From the indigenous population comes the country's national dish: pepperpot, a thick meat stew cooked in casareep, the dark, treacly juice of the bitter cassava, often eaten with another Amerindian staple, cassava bread (Casareep is a potent preservative -- a pot of pepperpot will remain on the stove top indefinitely, becoming richer with age. Buy a bottle from one of the vendors at Stabroek Market and experiment at home). Another Guyanese standard is mettagee, root vegetables cooked in coconut milk. A large community of descendants from India has popularized curries and the ubiquitous roti, the ultimate Caribbean fast food. Chinese food is readily available, and many Georgetown restaurants include Chinese dishes on their menus. Garlic pork is a Christmas favorite introduced by the Portuguese. An import ban during the 1980s prompted experimentation with local ingredients, the legacy of which remains today. Plantain flour is used in locally produced cereals. In cakes and desserts, papaya and dried carambola (five-fingers) substitute successfully for imported raisins and cherries. Georgetown has an array of restaurants serving both Guyanese and international food. Seafood (fish, prawns, crab) is fresh and plentiful, and Guyana has possibly the widest array of tropical fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean, so meals can often be unusual and exciting. Some Georgetown restaurants even serve wild meat such as labba (a small rodent) and manatee (sea cow). The soul-stirring land has plenty of attractions and you can be pretty sure that its food will be one of your best memories. Guyana has made its mark in many areas of sport As in the rest of the Commonwealth, Caribbean cricket is a national passion. Guyana has contributed more than its fair share of fine players in the West Indies side, including three captains, one of whom, Clive Lloyd, holds the record as the most successful captain in cricket history. Other notable Guyanese cricketers include Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharan, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon and Colin Croft. More recently, Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the young Reon King have lent their skills to the West Indies effort. While players come from all parts of the country the game has been especially popular in Berbice, which turns out cricketers the way Brazil turns out footballers, and wins most of the national titles. Georgetown's Bourda cricket ground, once one of the Caribbean's finest, is a major test-match venue. It is noted for its wooden stands and the elegant samaan trees on its periphery, although these days the ground is plagued by drainage and surfacing problems and does not attract as many international matches. Wind ball or softball cricket is widely played in Guyana and tournaments are well sponsored. Horse racing was popular in the 1960s, with a lively scene centered on Georgetown's Durban Park racetrack. The industry was given a new lease on life in the 1980s by a group of racing enthusiasts who formed a new Horse Racing Authority. Now several racetracks are in Berbice, where local meets are staged, and a colorful racing scene has developed once more. Car racing is another long-standing passion. The Linden highway facility was revived in the 1980s, and the sport has regained its former vibrancy. Guyana's Dakota circuit is a major stop on the international racing circuit, and the big meet in November attracts top drivers from the Caribbean and North America. Several smaller meets are during the year as well. Boxing is popular in Guyana. It came into its own in the 1980s and 1960s, and Guyana was the first Caribbean territory to contest the Commonwealth title. For golfers, there is an attractive nine-hole course and golf club at Lusignan, seven miles from Georgetown. Road racing attracts plenty of interest. The Go-Guyana Run Marathon take place in March on the east coast road from Mahaica to Georgetown, and road races are held on the white sand roads in some Amerindian communities. Football (American soccer) and rugby are widely played, though they suffer from the lack of an international-class football ground. Guyana still competes in the CONCACAF (Caribbean and Central American) league, however, and reached the third round in the World Cup qualifier in 1976.

River swimming is another national pastime and one with limitless scope, given the vastness of Guyana's rivers. The Demerara and Berbice rivers are the major sites for competition. The Essequibo is the setting for the lively Easter regatta at Bartica, contested by indigenous canoes and balahoos.