Masquerade Bands exist in various parts of the Caribbean as part of the Christmas celebrations and date back to the days of slavery in Guyana and the Caribbean, when as part of the rituals of our African ancestors, the religious features of the original ceremonies were transformed into this living and dynamic manifestation of our African heritage.
The main attraction in any Masquerade band is the group of flouncers who with mournful faces and eyes turned heavenward, show off the variety and skill of their steps, going down slowly on one leg, the other stretched horizontally for the “pick-up” which is usually a coin or dollar bill thrown by the audience.
The Masquerade Band is made up of musicians, dancers (flouncers), a stilt dancer, a Mad Bull or Cow and Mother Sally or Long Lady who is usually the crowd control agent. With her flailing arms, she is derived from one of the protective matriarchal figures of one of the West African tribes.
The musicians with their Fife, Kittle, Boom and Steel dictate the movements of the dance by their melody and rhythm. It is said that these instruments were originally borrowed from the British regiments stationed in the Caribbean and later became traditional.
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