17 Aug 2019  |   04:39am IST

Keeping traditions flying high at Bonderam at Malar

St Mathias Sports Club will be organising the annual flag festival Bonderam in Divar today. A festival that has been celebrated for over four centuries, the festival is held in high regard by the Divadkars. The history of Bonderam has seen three village festivals turn to two over the last three decades, with connotations that there never will be a single Bonderam on the island

Dolcy D’Cruz;

 

 

The festival of Bonderam has been evolving while keeping its roots firmly based on the island. From the communidades celebrating the Bonderam to the Sao Mathias Sports Club holding the reins for over 30 years, the festivities have remained the same and every member of the island plays an important role. As all eyes will be on Divar this Saturday, there is a lot more to look forward to at this Bonderam. The annual Bonderam 2019 – The Traditional Flag Festival of Malar Divar Island will be organised by St Mathias Sports Club in association with Department of Art and Culture and Goa Tourism on August 17, 2019, at Malar Square Divar

 

After recovering from the floods that crept up the river banks of Divar, the villagers are back to making hay while the sun shines and, more importantly, adding final touches to their decorative floats that will be part of the float parade. This is the second year that the Bonderachim Pasoiis being organised, with a walk along the main street of the village, showcasing the historic landmarks, heritage homes, chapels and temples. “The procession will begin at Sao Mathias Church at 3 pm with the flag bearers and brass band. I will be taking the participants across the village to eight heritage homes, decorated with eco-friendly decorations; they will serve us Goan snacks like patoieos, pudde, chonne, alle belle, doce, chai, sanna, etc. Besides the homes, we will also go to landmarks of the village followed by the Bonderam Parade at St Mathias Sports Club at 6 pm,” explains Marius Fernandes, originally from Amboi in Divar.

 

Ivo Azavedo is the President of the Sao Mathias Sports Club and has been part of Bonderam for over three decades. Born and brought up on the island, Ivo still remembers how Bonderam used to be celebrated. “Earlier, there were three Bonderams. Sao Mathias and Navelim Bonderam were held every year on August 23, followed by the Novidade and the following Saturday would be the Goltim Bonderam. After the communidades started dwindling and could not fund the festivals, Sao Mathias Sports Club, which was formed 53 years ago, took over the St Mathias Bonderam and Piedade Youth Association celebrates the Goltim-Navelim Bonderam. There never was just one Bonderam in Divar; it’s something that will never happen,” says Ivo.

Third-year BBA students of Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar, the brother-sister duo of Sohail and Salome Pereira, have been a part of Bonderam before they could even walk on their own. This year, Sohail will be part of the Bonderachim Pasoi while Salome is coordinating the float of their ward, Belsur. “My earliest memories of Bonderam would be when I dressed as a Hawaiian girl, with a palm leaves skirt and lei, for the fancy dress competition. Bonderam is that time of the year when loved ones come over to be part of the celebrations,” says Salome, while Sohail adds, “I remember dressing up as a fisherman in 2002 for the fancy dress competition. Bonderam in Malar has remained the same except the floats are now bigger. Malar and Piedade Bonderam have their own identity and both are doing well on their own.”

 

Lynn Silveria, an electronics engineer by profession, is the 

General Secretary of the club. “There was a lot more excitement during my childhood as it was without mobiles or social media. We used to hunt for teflan (Sichuan peppers) to use with bamboo sticks, in a device called fottash. We used to have mock fights and we would wear 2-3 t-shirts to shield ourselves against the rival gang. We would also race to see who reaches home first unhurt. Earlier, Bonderam was held on August 23. Now, due to commercialisation, it is held on a Saturday. On Bonderam, we used to walk around the wards to mark the boundary and now we are reviving this tradition through Bonderanchim Pasoi, which is also bringing in outsiders to enjoy the essence of the festival,” says Lynn.

The festivity will continue with villagers of the four wards – Belsur, Amboi, Church Ward and Goddar – presenting dances and floats. Besides the colourful parade, the Bonderam celebrations include breaking of coconuts called kathodio and an all-Goa fancy dress competition with junior and senior categories.

 

 This year, the entertainment will be provided with live performances by Double R band, and Johnny B Gud with Bushka. The festivity will conclude with the feast of Novidade or the Harvest festival, where the new harvest will be blessed on Sunday, August 18, 2019.