About: Mashramani (Republic Day)

Mashramani, often abbreviated to "Mash", is an annual festival that celebrates Guyana becoming a Republic in 1970. The festival, usually held on 23 February – Guyanese Republic Day – includes a parade, music, games and cooking and is intended to commemorate the "Birth of the Republic". In 2016, the Mashramani parade was held on 26 May, the 50th anniversary of Guyana's independence, but the remainder of the celebration was held on the traditional February date. The word "Mashramani" is derived from an Amerindian word and in Guyanese English means "celebration after cooperative or hard work". It is one of the most colourful of all the country's festivals, and one of the few that involves all Guyanese ethnic groups. There are spectacular costume competitions, float parades, masquerade bands, and dancing in the streets to the accompaniment of steel band music and calypsos. Masquerades frequent the streets performing acrobatic dance routines, a vivid reminder of Guyana's African heritage.