Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2018 | Page 200

Christmas on DeCastro
Fungi Music of the BVI
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DeCastro Street is transformed into a festive
Christmas village for 2 days in early December
each year, in an event which sees family
and friends come together to celebrate the
season. Vendors sell food and beverage and
there are Christmas gifts, arts and craft items
also on sale. It the perfect place for visitors
to purchase something locally made as a
souvenir, and for locals to get that last-minute
item for gifting or home decoration.
To add to the festive atmosphere in this
Christmas village, performers entertain on
stage and Christmas carols are sung. Local
celebrities often make an appearance,
including the island’s reigning beauty queen.
Santa Claus also shows up to the delight
of the kids. Of course there’s no Christmas
without Santa! An additional compliment
to the event is entertainment by steel pan
players and live bands performing the island’s
traditional music, Fungi (pronounced foon-gee).
Fungi originates from Africa, brought over
by the slaves and passed down through
the generations. This folk music involves
drumming, and the use of a variety of musical
instruments many of which may be home
made. The word “fungi’ itself connotes an
amalgamation of sorts, being the name of
a local dish of corn meal plus onion, okra,
pepper, “cooked-up” together in one dish.
Hence, Fungi, the folk music is also a “cook-up”
of a variety of musical instruments, blending
harmoniously to create music that is uniquely
of the British Virgin Islands. After slavery was
abolished and up to the 1930’s, Fungi bands
were quite popular on the island and their
services were sought as entertainment at
weddings, festivals and other events. Today,
it is appreciated as a much-loved cultural
tradition which locals and visitors can enjoy at
festivals like these.
You may also hear them serenading on New
Year’s Day! Sweet music of the BVI.