that time of year as well as a modern admixture called soca parang. "Pastelle, black cake, fruit cake, sweet bread (paime) are customary eats; Peardrax, ponche de creme ("punch a crem'"), ginger beer, sorrel wine are the drinks. As most of the residents are Christian, Christmas is one of the biggest celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago.. Divali Divali is a Hindu festival, a celebration of the victory of good over evil. The Divali Nagar is a fair that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. Hosay Hosay is the local manifestation of the Shia Muslim Remembrance of Muharram in Trinidad and Tobago (where is it spelled Hussay). The name Hosay comes from "Husayn", whose martyrdom is commemorated in the festival. Recently it has been revived elsewhere. Phagwah A Hindu spring festival, celebrated as a festival of colours. Maha Shivratri A Hindu Festival celebrated annually in which thousands of devotees spend night in over 400 temples across the land, offering special jhal (a mixture of milk, dahi (yogurt), honey, flowers, bael leaves, pipal leaves, paan leaves, sugar-cane juice, and sugar) to Lord Shiva. Music Calypso music developed together with Carnival. The chantuelle, who spoke for the band, evolved into the calypsonian (and other characters, such as the Midnight Robber). The music, which drew upon African and French influences, became the voice of the people. It allowed the masses to challenge the doings of the unelected Governor and Legislative Council, and the elected town councils of Port of Spain and San Fernando. As English replaced patois (Creole French) as the dominant language, calypso migrated into English, and in so doing it attracted more attention from the government. Calypso continued to play an important role in political expression, and also served to document the history of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to mid-20th century and spread to the rest of Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century. Soca Soca is a dance music which is a mix of Trinidad's calypso and Indian music and rhythms, especially chutney music. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with insistent kadans percussion, and Indian musical instruments—particularly the dholak, tabla and dhantal—as demonstrated in Shorty's classic compositions "Ïndrani" and