Revelers thrilled to experience ‘Mash’ after two-year hiatus

Following a two-year hiatus of Guyana’s Republic Day celebrations, Guyanese took to the streets of Georgetown on Thursday afternoon to usher in the long-awaited Mashramani festivities.

Under the theme ‘Mixing and Mashing as One Guyana’, revelers from several ministries, agencies and organisations across the country expressed their feelings on the return of the festivities.

“It’s Mashramani, so we should all be excited. Mashramani is about the celebration after hard work. And as Guyanese, we should promote this more often so that we get the vibe,” Edward Jones, expressed.

Local soca artist, Vanilla, said, “What I love about today is all of us having fun together and representing the true meaning of Mashramani.”

Amanda DeSouza, expressed her appreciation for the mixture of cultures that is displayed at the country’s national festival.

“I love seeing every culture coming out to show what they believe in, and what they bring to the table,” she said.

Mashramani is an Amerindian word meaning ‘celebration after hard work’.

The festival is held every year on February 23, to commemorate Guyana’s status as a Co-operative Republic; a status the country attained in 1970.

The last Mashramani celebration was hosted in 2020, but there were no festivities in 2021 and 2022, due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the country returns to normalcy, Guyanese look forward to the growth of the celebration next year.