SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Frazer Andrade
The Friday before Easter, is the day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death at Calvary. This day may also be referred to as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday and Black Friday. The pre-reformed texts call the Good Friday liturgy, the ‘Mass of the Pre-Sanctified’ which bears some similarity to the Eastern counterpart, the ‘Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts.’ The liturgy of Good Friday received the most extensive reform in the post-1955 edition.
Fr Nascimento Mascarenhas, a resident of Sáligão mentioned, “In both forms, the priest and ministers wore black vestments for Mass (replaced with red in today’s times). The pre-reformed rite begins with the altar bare except for two unlit candles and a veiled cross upon the altare mensam. The ministers genuflect to the Cross when entering the sanctuary.” While the celebrant prostrates before the altar, the assisting ministers spread a single cloth across the altar and place the missal on the Epistle Side. The priest ascends to the altar, kisses it, and goes to the missal where at once is begun the lesson, which may be read by a competent reader from the place where the sub-deacon would usually chant the Epistle.
“Having removed their outer vestments, the priest and ministers go to the altar and retrieve the veiled cross, which is unveiled in the traditional three-stage method,” says Fr Nascimento. A violet carpet is spread over the lowest step of the altar, and the Cross is laid upon the ground for adoration. The faithful would approach, making three genuflections and on their knees, they bend low to adore the cross. When this is complete, the cross was restored to the altar.
Then comes the greatest difference between the pre-1955 form and its reformed counterpart. The priest and ministers go to the altar of repose, and the veiled chalice and host is brought to the altar in a solemn procession with incense much like the procession Maundy Thursday. When they reach the altar, the chalice is unveiled, and the host is slipped on to the paten and placed on the corporal. Plain wine is poured into the chalice, which is likewise placed on the corporal without prayer or gesture. The host, chalice, cross, and altar are incensed in the usual way and the priest washes his hands without saying anything. The Secret is prayed and then the priest says the Orate Fratres without a response from the faithful. Following the purification, everyone departs in silence and the altar is stripped again. The reformed rite of 1955 intentionally eliminates references to this liturgy as a Mass. The ‘Solemn Liturgical Action’ as it may be referred to as begins with a stripped altar which is bare of any cross and candles. No cloth is spread during the prostration.
Following communion, the priest purifies his fingers in a vessel of water. The ciborium is repositioned in the tabernacle of the main altar, after which the priest chants three newly-composed prayers for Good Friday and departs in silence. ‘We would not play music or even watch TV on this day as our grandparents wanted us to partake in Jesus’ passion by avoiding things that we liked doing otherwise’, mentions Agnelo Andrade from Ambajim. Every home, consumes a very simple meal which comprises of a rice gruel (called kanji or péz in Konkani), accompanied by pickle or salted fish.
On this day in addition to fasting and abstinence, there was an unusual tradition observed in Goa. The tradition involved young boys crucifying a garden lizard (in some villages three garden lizards), locally known as Thopio or Sheddo onto a coconut tree or the petiole of the palm leaf using thorns of a lemon tree or that of Flacourtia jangomas, during the morning of Good Friday. But why were these lizards crucified? Different villages across Goa have different stories to tell. According to elders in Ambajim, Margão, it is believed that the lizard was the intermediate, involved in convincing Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and hence the punishment. There is yet another narration which mentions that at 3 pm when Christ was crucified the lizard was spotted teasing Christ hiding behind a tree. Could this practice have had its origin in some locals who considered the lizard as bad luck if it fell on their body? Hence when they crucified a garden lizard, they destroyed (killed) what they considered as a bad omen and alongside understood church catechism?
While in search of garden lizards to carry out the crucifixion, if the boys by chance got their hands onto a poisonous variety of the lizard (Sorop shilli) and got bitten by it, the victim was immersed into a pond with the water being neck level, so as to prevent spread of the toxin in the victim’s body, until medical assistance was being provided to him. “Doing this was fun for the young boys who then eagerly waited for the Easter Vigil Mass when they would go up the choir loft of churches and throw pieces of Pandanus (Ketok) leaves onto the people (especially girls) attending Mass as they walked to the communion rail to receive the Holy Communion,” mentions Joyce Carvalho e Aguiar, a resident of Colva.
