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West Dem. Arrival Day celebrations stand out

May 06, 2009 News

Arrival Day celebrations at Joe Vieira Park, attended by hundreds, proved to be the most innovative held to observe the 171st anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana.
The celebrations are hosted annually by the Indian Cultural, Religious and Social Organisation of West Demerara.
This year featured a float parade in which mainly mandirs tried to outdo each other in displaying the way of life of the early East Indians who came to Guyana.
As a result, trailers pulled into Joe Vieira Park carrying from logies to wedding houses.  The logies (estate houses) showed the old-style kitchens with a typical fireside, and the coconut husks used to wash kitchen utensils. On the walls of some of the replicas of the logie, were newspaper pasted to the walls, and shelves with nails for hanging cups.
On one tractor was a “maro” which is used to conduct Hindu marriages. On the floats, some women dressed in traditional clothing, including the sari and the Madrassi headgear.
In the true spirit of Melas (fairs) there were fun and games for the children, including a ferris wheel for those who wanted to take a ride. Indian delicacies were also on sale.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, who attended the event, was greeted by tassa drummers and he took the opportunity to view some of the floats and talk with patrons.
He told the gathering not only to concentrate on the song and dance of the Indians, but to keep in mind the inner strength that caused them to move from their homeland to a place they did not know.
Joe Vieira Park is located a few miles from Vreed-en-hoop, where the first set of East Indians worked on sugar plantations.
Approximately 239,000 Indian labourers came to these shores during indentureship.
The first ship to arrive was the Whitby, which arrived at Plantation Highbury, East Bank Berbice with 266 workers. They were sent to Plantation Waterloo and Belle Vue.  On that same day, another ship – the Hesperus – also arrived. It docked in Demerara and the some 157 workers were sent to plantations at Vreed-en-Hoop, Vreedestein and Anna Regina.
During the period of indentureship, 245 ships sailed to British Guiana, making a total of 534 voyages. The last ship to bring workers from India was the “Ganges.” It docked in Georgetown on April 18, 1917, bringing a total of 437 persons.

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