Money and National Festivals

Guyana with its diverse peoples, often observes celebrations as National Holidays. Two such events which many look forward to at the start of each year are Mashramani and Easter.

These two national festivals bring much-needed income for citizens and businesses alike. The day of February 23 is Republic Day but most refer to the day by the festival name, Mash. Easter also garners huge revenue and this year was observed on the weekend of April 15 with the usual Easter Monday as the climax.

Mash is celebrated at a time which is customarily known as the hard guava season. This is the view of three popular business owners - Jonel Decamp of Victoria who operates a grocery store, Carl Marks a fruit stand owner and Milroy Blacket, a bus driver. According to them, Mash being the first big festival for the year brings an injection of much-needed funds into the pockets of business owners and the ordinary person.

China Trading

John, a Sales Clerk at major importer, China Trading says, “My boss imports things for Mash, and also more staff are hired on a seasonal basis for this occasion. We try to import things that can be used for both Mash and other holidays since we don’t want to keep them and they dry rot. The same for Easter.”

Buxton kite Makers

John Mc Almont, a Buxton Kite maker says, “Kite makers face difficulties after Easter has ended.”

They expect a 90% decrease in the sale of kites, once Easter Day is finished. Kite makers have to find other work after.

People and Government

The Guyana government distributes kites to communities across Guyana. This year, President David Granger distributed kites in an Amerindian Community. Officials declined to comment on the cost involved for this project.

Vendors look forward to festivals and events. Watch:

The Guyanese music industry and festivals. Listen:

Many Guyanese stay away from the festivities. Why? Find out here.

Produced for the course DPC 2204 - Online Journalism,
Centre for Communication Studies, University of Guyana.
By Samuel Gillis, Latoya Joseph and Dwayne Hackett
© April 2017