Curiously enough I feel the custom of circulating the statue of Our Lady
(Saibinn) from house to house is stronger in Goan cities than in the
villages. In the last three years that I have resided in Panjim, in two
different apartments, we have twice had the opportunity to bring Saibinn
into our house.
Of course it was not the same as before.
In my school days in Aldona when the statue of our Lady was brought home
boiled grams would be served, and the entire day the Saibinn was in the
house was a day of prayer and reverence. Besides the actual time of
transfer of the statue, neighbours dropped in throughout the day to join
the family in prayer.
It was an experience that I guess will never return. Nearly half the
'waddo' walking down the street with the houseowner leading the way and
handing over the statue to the next door neighbour. Prayers, hymns and the
Rosary were said loudly and enthusiastically. Normally the menfolk would
stand on one side of the room and the females on the other. Therefore the
'Santa Morye' and the 'Noman Morye' were always of opposite pitches. The
males response was low. The females response was high. But the next decade
(I hope I spelt that right!) the pitches would be reversed.
And we children always made sure we carried the biggest possible gents
kerchief to accommodate the maximum number of boiled grams. We spread the
kerchief on our laps and the lady of the house would generously dump as
many cupfuls of grams as we could hold.
Even at that time things were beginning to change. Some people who did not
have the time to boil grams, mostly the richer people, starting serving
biscuits instead. And not even the sweet Glucose ones, but the boring round
Marie biscuits. And tea. And syrupy cold drinks for the youngsters. Some
prayers and hymns were even said in English, which is in no way as harmonic
as Konkani.
Then started the neighbour's fights. One person would refuse to accept the
Saibinn from his next door neighbour because of some other bickering, which
is part of our Goan ethos. So a convoluted compromise would be worked out
where a distant neighbour would be the buffer. As more and more neighbours
started bickering routes got maddeningly long and complicated. Like moving
your hand from behind your head to scratch your ear. And finally in many
villages they just stopped the beautiful custom of Saibinn.
In my village of Aldona it has been recently restarted by some enthusiastic
and devout youngsters.
But I seem to have got carried away, or rather back in time, from my
earlier assertion. The custom of Saibinn seems to be vibrantly active in
the cities, which are normally perceived as being 'less religious', than
the villages. Could this be my unique experience or is it true of the whole
of Goa?
Cecil
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