450 Jubilee Year of the Church of Salvador do Mundo, Goa

Most Rev. Anil J.T. Couto Archbishop of Delhi was the main celebrant at the closing ceremony of the 450 Jubilee Year (1565-2015/16) of the Church of Salvador do Mundo. On the occasion, His Excellency said: Let us not forget our forefathers today who built this Church and through them we are the followers of Jesus Christ who is our hope of salvation. 

He released a souvenir depicting the history of the parish which has stood the test of time.

Jevonn

Jevonn is the traditional Goan Wedding meal. It is prepared by a local woman called ranpin and served at the bridegroom's place just a few days before the wedding. It consists of samareachi koddi (fried spicy massala prawn curry), melgor (gram cooked in massala), duddeachi xak (pumpkin), soji (wheat in coconut juice and jaggary), vonn (a special desert: dal cooked in jaggary coconut juice). Elders of the village prefer to savour it in a kotti (coconut shell) in memory of the ancestors; pickle as appetizer. The meal begins after a short prayer is said to wish well for the young couple and also remembering those that have departed. The prayer is said by an elder of the village. Don't miss it, should you be invited to attend it.

The Legendary Cross

It is a tradition in Goa to sing Litany to the Cross in the month of May. In every village one will find Crosses all along the roads and pathways leading to a locality or may be opposite a house. It is presumed that God fearing ancestors had erected them to seek Divine protection when traveling in the night. One would stop by the Cross, pray and continue the onward journey. It is interesting at times to listen to an anecdote related to the erection of a Cross in a village. So goes the legend of a Cross in the picturesque village of Salvador do Mundo.

Bhurgeanchea Khursache Fest

The legendary Cross, ‘Bhurgeancho Khuris’ is a symbol of brotherhood and unity fostering harmony and understanding among the villagers.  According to the legend, a group of boys were playing in the evening. They found a partially damaged Cross. With due reverence, they picked it up and placed it by the roadside in the locality. They then used to come together every year in the month of May to sing the litany. As years passed by the number of boys increased and the Cross was raised on a pedestal. 

Children pay Homage

“When the incident occurred no one can tell for sure. But it’s been there since my boyhood,” recollects Mr. Aniceto Martins who is now a senior citizen and regularly attends the annual litany. “We used to wait for the Bombay crowd to come and then have the litany late in May,” says Albert Heredia “because we used to receive some donations of 25 paise to Rs.5 which was great money then” he chides. “Sometimes it suddenly rained in the midst of the litany being sung as the summer showers would lash Goa. We were dispersed. But that didn’t dampen our spirit to regroup again and sing the litany,” adds Martins. Titu Fernandes reminisces the days he used to attend the parish music school to sing the solfegio and remembers Jose Mistir the village choir maestro who taught him to sing the litany. “I am here for the last 38 years,” informs Seby Fernandes who is a settler in the village. Incidentally the Bhurgeancho Khuris is just opposite his house. “I am richly blessed” he proclaims and participates in the annual litany preparation which consists of readings from the Bible, prayer of the faithful and singing of selective hymns. 

The hands of the clock move ahead with every tick of the pendulum and so have times changed. The legendary Cross is housed into a beautiful structure which is aptly named ‘Bhurgeancho Khuris’. The feast commonly refereed to as ‘Bhurgeanchea Khursache Fest’ is held annually on the first Sunday after May 3 the feast of the Cross. Some old time decoration of planting the leaves of billo madd around the structure is reminiscent of the bygone era. Children as well as elders irrespective of their creed patronize the Fest, more so those who come in thanks giving for favors received. With the popularity of the legendary Cross growing by each passing year, many are hopeful that the devotion to the Cross will continue and the village of Salvador do Mundo will remain peaceful and in harmonious coexistence.

+Ayres Sequeira.

Summertime in Ancestral Goa.

Jackfruits on the tree

Ancestral Goa was peaceful. Our ancestors lived in the bosom of Nature. Their life was simple. They feared God, tilled the land and harvested the hills. Come April May, Nature’s bounty was unlimited: Ponos (jackfruits), ambe (mangoes), cazu (cashews), chunna, kantam (berries of different varieties) and fruits of many other types were found aplenty in the backyard gardens of the Goans and on the hills as well.

Plucking mangoes

The distinct peculiar aroma of the jack-fruits and the delicious tempting mango fragrance in the homes is what made the ancestral summertime unique. Children would spend most of their time roaming the hills in search of their favorite fruits while elders were busy in their kitchens. The produce of the fruit bearing trees was distributed among neighbors, relatives and friends in the vicinity or far away as a token of love, affection and good relationship. This era is slowly passing into oblivion. Goa is developing perhaps for the worst, nature is being destroyed and the environment is being polluted. From simple living to modern sophisticated lifestyle ~ a change is perhaps inevitable among the Goans.

Lowering mangoes

 Summer was fun for the village boys who were seen whirling round on their bicycles. Some music buffs

Old box guitar

would strum their guitars sitting under a mango tree. Others would look for an opportunity to surreptitiously climb a jackfruit tree to knock down one or display their skill aiming at a ripened mango with a ‘cati’ (s sling with a stone) to have it shot down at one stroke. Parents often received complaints much to the surprise of the errant boys, when they returned home for lunch. A good trashing or a strict warning to stop all such mischief the next time would disperse the boys for a while. But that didn’t deter the fun loving mischief-makers who would regroup together by a well and sing the much known Konkani romantic ballad: ‘Tambde Rosa tuze pole’ ( rosy are your cheeks, oh darling!). Despite all the threats and punishments, fun and hilarity continued among some jovial village boys till the summer came to an end. Sadly, time plays havoc with life. It cannot stand stationary. Ancestral Goa is not the same today.

Ayres Sequeira.

Why Special Status?

The question ‘Why special status for Goa?’ has many answers but no solution. Interestingly, the House passed a unanimous resolution to demand special status for Goa. We do not respect our land, nor do we want to preserve it for the next generation. This has attracted land sharks to our door with lucrative offers which are irresistible. Land is limited and we must protect what little is left of it for future development.



The Goan cultivation landscape

We cry hoarse of loosing our identity and diluting our culture. Migrants and outside settlers have migrated to make Goa a second home, without much commitment to the state's heritage and culture. We are undecided on the language issue. Sadly, we do not speak the language we have opted for. Strangely, we have two languages for official use. Every successive government that comes to power is deeply disappointing. Feeling frustrated, many Goans have left their ancestral land, never to return. In this particular scenario the demand for special status for Goa remains much to be debated.



Winnowing chaff

Salvador do Mundo - the story of a Goan village

Salvador do Mundo is a picturesque village in the Bardez district of Goa. It is endowed with natural surrounding, hillocks, rivulets and fields. The Church, dedicated to Savior of the World and built in 1565 by the Franciscan Friars, is the landmark of the village.

The Salvador do Mundo Church



Blessing the first sheaves of paddy

The village has had many traditions and customs in the past. Most of these are slowly fading into oblivion with every passing generation and advancement in civilization. A few still exist, though they are now devoid of their original glamour of the ancestral era.

It is a tradition to celebrate the harvest feast every year in the month of August. The parish being dedicated to Savior of the World as its Patron, the feast is celebrated on the 6th of August annually. It has lost most of its traditional aspects as the years rolled by, but only a few remain to be observed.


 The main occupation of the villagers is cultivation of the fields, farming and harvesting the hills. These activities come alive in season time. However every advancing generation seem to reject the traditional occupations after receiving education which promises more sophisticated living in keeping with the change of time.



Threshing the paddy

Willowing

All the same the village remains peaceful and calm in the lap of nature. The villagers live in harmony and brotherhood. However as the sun sets across the fields and beyond the hills, there is hope of a new tomorrow and it can never be the same as yesterday.

Sunset over the local village river

 

Feni

Anyone who has an associationg with Goa is familiar with this local alcohol, made from the juice of the cashew fruit.



Distillation of the juice of the cashew fruit to make 'Feni'



Feni is stored and sold in large containers called 'kolsos'
- traditional pots that contains approximately 15 bottles of the liquor