For centuries, Diwadkars have stayed true
to their traditions. They have treasured the flag festival through their
passionate celebration of the harvest festival of Bonderam. This festival has
been celebrated since time immemorial and the villagers show their allegiance
to previous generations by following traditional ways. This one-day festival
organised by Piedade Youth Association will be held today from 3:30 pm onwards.
Bonderam has been celebrated for nearly
400-500 years. Diwadkars who have moved away from the island also make it a
point to visit the village for the annual harvest festival, and to have their
share of freshly prepared ‘pattoleos’ and ‘pudde’. In the earlier years, the
festival was celebrated by playing the ‘ghumott’, later replaced by the Divar
brass band. Youngsters shot at each other with the ‘fottash’, a bamboo stick
with seeds like ‘ansalleo’ and sichuan peppers (‘teofa’) used as pellets.
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The name ‘Bonderam’ originates from
‘Bandeira’, the Portuguese word for flag. During the Portuguese rule, there
were frequent disputes between two wards – Piedade and Sao Mathias – over
property issues. The Portuguese introduced a system of putting up flags to
demarcate the boundaries. “The feast was celebrated by both wards on the fourth
Sunday of August, and there would inevitably be a clash between the two wards.
Finally, it was decided that the feast would be celebrated on two consecutive
Sundays, one dedicated to each ward,” says an elderly member of the village.
Earlier, a more traditional festival was
celebrated by the villagers lead by the Communidade. However, as the festival
required more funding, the festivities by the Communidade started dwindling.
Now the festival is organised by the Piedade Youth Association. “The
traditional Bonderam was held with a flag march led by the brass band and
people used to fool around with the ‘fottash’ which had no proper aim. There
were a few instances when people got injured when a ‘fottash’ pellet would hit
them in the eye. From then on, we planned to do away with the ‘fottash’,” he
adds.
Swarms of spectators crowding the tiny
island seem to be taking the place of the age old festivities that had only the
villagers coming together to celebrate Bonderam in a charming way. In the olden
days, the festival was a meeting point for prospective grooms and brides when
relatives would visit the village and look out for a partner for their sons and
daughters. “It was not just Bonderam; festivals were social events when
families could get together and get proposals. Relatives would visit one
another and matchmaking would take place.”
This year, the Piedade Youth Association
and the village of Divar are gearing up to celebrate the 32nd Traditional Flag
Festival ‘Bonderam’. It will begin at the break of dawn with the sounds of the
Alvorad played by the brass band accompanied by members of the association at
5am. At 3pm, the annual flag parade will begin from the Club House en route
Communidade of Goltim/Navelim to Vitozem, with the brass band back to Asilo
Ground, Goltim/Navelim. At 3.30pm, the flag march will conclude at the main
Divar junction where the festivities, including an All Goa Fancy Dress
Competition, will continue through the evening.
Floats from Premiero ward, Romantic ward,
Maddant Stars ward, Jingle Bells ward, Vitozem ward and Divar Centre ward will
showcase the talent in their respective wards. The entertainment will include a
Konkani music performance by Johnny and Bushka, Goan band Brothers in Arms and
music by DJ Ryan Nogar and DJ Navin to keep everyone on the dance floor. The
winners of the float competition will be announced along with the lucky coupon
draw. The Chief Guest for the function will be Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar
while MLAs Pandurang Madkaikar and Nilesh Cabral will be Guests of Honour.
