More than 100 years of Ramleela in Cedar Hill Village

For more than 100 years this religious festival has been celebrated at the Cedar Hill grounds. This year’s celebration began last Friday.

According to Cedar Hill Ramleela activist, Seecharan Pandogie, this village located in South Trinidad was home to hundreds of indentured labourers who lived in the barracks and worked the nearby sugar cane fields.

“In the early days, labourers were restricted from communicating with each other. However, they had the opportunity to conduct puja and prayers for Divali,” Pandogie said. He revealed that the labourers started relating the story of the Ramayan under a huge cedar tree at the Cedar Hill ground.

“The older heads would take turns to expound on the glories of Lord Rama,” Pandogie said, noting that each narrator would give dramatic performances of the life and times of Lord Rama, singing and dancing at times. It is from this setting that Ramleela as we know it today was born.

Today scores of actors from neighbouring villages take to the stage to portray characters from the Holy Ramayan (text of Hindus) complete with elaborate costuming and accompanied by tassa drumming. For the past five years, Beharry Boodoo has been spearheading the Ramleela celebrations in this village. He was happy to see many youngsters coming out to participate this year.

Ramleela draws persons from a wide cross-section of the local communities, who come out to see players re-enact the life of Lord Rama. Today, the fifth day of Ramleela, many will gather at the grounds to witness the unfolding story of Rama.

The same story is enacted by other actors at Matilda Road in Princes Town, in Rio Claro, San Fernando, Chaguanas, Tunapuna and Sangre Grande. The drama, which runs for ten days, will end this Sunday with fireworks as the 50ft effigy of the demon king Ravan is burnt.

Pandogie describe Lord Ram, as the perfect avatar of the Vishnu Bhagwan. “Rama is the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king,” he said.