Parishioners of Mother of God Church, Majorda revived their rich over a century old tradition of celebrating the nativity of Mother Mary uniquely by decorating boats. The boats are traditionally decorated with palm leaves and flowers and placed outside the church. The making of these boats near the Majorda church unites youths and elders and as a community. The priest blesses the boats which carry flowers to be offered to Mother Mary on her nativity.
“On September 8, the whole Catholic Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Majorda Parish has a special significance as on this day we, the majority of parishioners, come together at three different Chapels with surrounding wards to prepare traditional boats. Without going into its historical significance, I wish to appreciate the hard work put in by our parishioners. This boat building/decorating activity is an exercise done by the whole community coming together as one family. It’s like a community building exercise. I hope and pray that, any sort of competition is avoided and through this exercise our unity in our wards strengthens and helps in building the strong community of faith where tenets of Christ are put into practice and reach out to all with love and dedication,” says Fr Candido Fernandes, parish priest of Mother of God Church, Majorda.
As per legends that led to the present tradition of building palm-leaf boats, a group of seamen were travelling across a sea when a sudden storm destroyed their boat. However, through the intercession of Mother Mary, the seamen were saved. After reaching the shore, they brought a statue of Mother Mary and flowers to the church. One of the parishioners informs, “The boats are built by the parishioners of Majorda and it took at least one month to build a boat. We have three groups with three different boats. This is a very old tradition held up strong even today with the contribution of the young and old making it a platform to showcase each one’s talents.”
The wards that make these artistic boats are Calata, Dongorim de Majorda and wards in the vicinity of Milagares. The material used is palm leaves and are biodegradable except the skeleton. There is distribution of work and community bonding is strengthened. For those who work for long hours, food is prepared by many generous members and served. When the boats are ready, they are towed to the Church. Each boat withholds a statue of Mother Mary and these are then ceremoniously blessed on September 8 during the Eucharistic celebration.
John Gonsalves, moderator of Mother of God Church, Majorda says, “People from all over throng to view these masterpieces. It is a mix of art and devotion kept as a legacy by our ancestors. The group leaders of Majorda are Savio Mascarenhas, Cleto Godinho, Xavier Pereira, Alfred, Jesus Colaco, Jose and many more. Various assignments like fabrication, arrangements for the palm leaves, lighting, decoration, are given to capable hands but others contribute in all the aspects of preparation of the boat.”
He further adds, “We work in a friendly environment enjoying the company of our fellow villagers while decorating the boat. This event brings us together for a few days but the memories linger in our minds for a long time. Flowers are brought in a boat to the church and offered to Our Lady before the beginning of Feast Mass. The boats are on display on the feast day. In the olden days, boats were taken inside the church in front of the altar and the flowers were offered after the mass. Some boats display the statue of Mother Mary, as protector of that vessel.”
