Siparia

Last updated
Siparia
Town
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Siparia
Location of Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago
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Siparia
Siparia (Caribbean)
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Siparia
Siparia (North America)
Coordinates: 10°08′N61°30′W / 10.133°N 61.500°W / 10.133; -61.500
CountryFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago
Borough Siparia
Settled1758
Government
  TypeBorough Corporation
  MayorDoodnath Mayrhoo
Area
  Total47.8 km2 (18.5 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
39 m (128 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total14,535
  Density300/km2 (790/sq mi)
Demonym Siparian
Time zone UTC−4 (AST)
Postal Code(s)
72xxxx
Area code +1 (868)-649

Siparia is a town in southern Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago, south of San Fernando, southwest of Penal and Debe and southeast of Fyzabad. Also called "The Sand City", it was originally a non-Mission Amerindian settlement. Siparia grew to be the administrative centre for Saint Patrick County, and went on to become the Siparia Regional Corporation, then the Siparia Borough Corporation.

Contents

Borough of Siparia

In 2023, Siparia was declared the nation's newest borough and the Siparia Regional Corporation became the Siparia Borough Corporation. Today, Siparia is a thriving commercial centre, as well as market town, serving the surrounding agricultural areas and oil fields.

Siparia is the seat of the Siparia Borough Corporation.

La Divina Pastora (Siparia Mai)

Siparia is the site of the annual festival of La Divina Pastora (Mary, as the mother of the Good Shepherd), named for the church's patron saint. The festival occurs each year on the saint's day of La Divina Pastora, a few weeks after Easter. The same statue, a Black Virgin, is venerated by Hindus during a separate festival, held on Good Friday and Maundy Thursday. The Hindu celebration is often referred to the "Siparia Fete". She is La Divina Pastora, the Divine Shepherdess, a manifestation of the Virgin Mary, to Catholics, and Siparia Mai (Mother of Siparia) to Hindus. Sometimes Sipari Mai is associated with a particular Hindu goddess, such as Kali, Durga or Lakshmi, and sometimes she is a goddess in her own right. These two religious groups are most commonly associated with her, but persons of many other religions, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Anglians, other Christian denominations, Spiritual Baptist, Rastafarians, Orishas, Buddhist, Baháʼís, Muslims, and the indigenous Warao people have been known to worship the popular saint. The early Chinese settlers who were Buddhist and of the Chinese folk religion saw her as their goddess Guanyin. [2] There has even been some Muslims who regard the site as holy and offer prayers towards Mecca, but they do not worship the statue as it is against the teachings of Islam. [3]

The origin of the statue is unknown, but seems to have been in the Siparia area since the 18th century.

Notable people from Siparia

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References

  1. "Elevation of Siparia,Trinidad and Tobago Elevation Map, Topo, Contour". floodmap.net. floodmap.net. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  2. "Miracle Mother — Siparee Mai, la Divina Pastora". 30 March 2015.
  3. "Miracle Mother — Siparee Mai, la Divina Pastora". 30 March 2015.