The Church feast always opens a floodgate of memories of good old days when life was simpler and wants were limited.
The feast celebration requires all the planning like that of a wedding. The head of the family believes that in order to be happy, one should make others happy. So, days before the feast, he invites relatives and friends for the Church feast.
In the early hours of the morn, trained musicians play melodious tunes of the past and welcome the feast’s dawn (Alvorada). The light festive breeze caresses the cheeks and wakes the festive folks from their saturated sleep.
As the summer dawn gradually fills the sky like spilled fruit juice the housewife rises up from bed, dips her hand in the dishpan and like high powered machine prepare “Sanna Vode festache” (steamed rice muffins and flour fritters of the feast day). Her main aim is to make her feast guests happy with her delicious dishes, the taste of which she expects to linger in the memory of her guests long after they part the festive house.
And as threads of golden sunshine get spreading and guests start arriving, the blushing house receives the invited relatives. The broad daylight lights up the decorated Church, which, looks like a bride on her wedding day.
And then, what a grand sight before your eyes! The colourful procession with coloured capes of Confraria (brotherhood) moves through the warm, benevolent sunshine of peace; it passes by the “quermesse” (Church fete) and through the “feir” (market) with great devotion; while the silver bell of the Church peels joyfully like a drunk fiddler on a roof. The fireman plays with his fireworks — rockets rise to the sky and explode filling Heaven and Earth with the smell of gun powder.
Goans have a fabulous feast meal. It starts with chicken soup; roast pigling, and “sorpatel” — a dish of pork with its liver, heart and blood. Yes, it looks that the local pig lives to grace the Goan feast table; and of course, intake of alcohol is an integral part of the celebration. The drinkers drink before meals; during meals and after meals; perhaps to sterilize the stomach and food.
When dusk falls on this blessed Earth and the moon hangs like a saffron lamp and the sheen of the stars in the night sky appear like gems strewn on a jeweller’s velvet cloth; the twinkling stars look at the organised feast dance and appear to wink teasingly at the dancers. There a few dance, like in good old days – holding hands and clasping waist; but now many dance the fusion dance; where action appears to be meaningfully good or bad, depending on the observer’s conclusions. Those who do not run to shake their legs on the dance floor go and sit in an open air enclosure to watch “tiatro”.
This is how the festive feast starts and ends every year. This is how the festive spirit as we see it in the present; it was the same in the past and it will be so till the end of time.
