Yesterday, St. Michael’s church in Anjuna celebrated St. Sebastian’s feast. It is the only feast that is celebrated yearly by one particular community of Anjuna – the “Kumbhar” or the pot makers. Before I proceed to write why the feast is celebrated by the community, here is a brief history of the saint.
Sebastian died a martyr in Rome, probably in AD 288. According to the legend, Sebastian, a Christian, decided to go into the military during a time of persecution. This decision was not to save his own life, but in order to put him in a position to comfort the martyrs. As a member of the military, the ones who captured and guarded the persecuted Christians, he was in ideal place to stay with them, encourage them, and even alleviate their sufferings without anyone being suspicious or keeping him out. He showed such aptitude in the military life, that the emperor Diocletian made him a captain without ever guessing Sebastian was a Christian. As more and more Christians died, it was inevitable that Sebastian would be found out. Diocletian was furious at what he saw as a betrayal after all he had done for Sebastian. He ordered Sebastian to be shot by archers. Irene, a Christian, found Sebastian still alive and nursed him back to health. As soon as he could stand, Sebastian went looking for Diocletian. Sebastian didn't want revenge or a reprieve. He wanted to accuse Diocletian of all the cruelties he had committed. Diocletian had Sebastian beaten to death. Based on this legend, St. Sebastian is considered patron saint of archers and soldiers. He is understandably honored as the patron saint of athletes, soldiers and police, but he is also the patron saint of archers, diseased cattle, dying people, enemies of religion, fletchers, gardeners, gunsmiths, lace-makers, masons, lead workers, plague, etc. All kinds of people look to Saint Sebastian in hopes of attaining like strength and endurance. Nobody is sure about the origin of Goan kumbhar but it is believed that these craftsmen came in with the early Saraswats. Their primitive craft revolved around temple complex, perhaps an indication why the ward is close to the church where once existed a temple. They baked earthen idols, “divlleo” (lamps), drums and toys for religious festivals and jatras. The people of Bardez have placed great faith in St. Sebastian as a deliverer from the scourge of disease. The Confraternity of St. Sebastian originated in Anjuna sometime in 1896 during one virulent epidemic of plague that struck the kumbharvaddo where the kumbhar community resided and still reside. The kumbhars brought a small statue of the saint and implored his protection. As a token of gratitude for being spared, they carried the image to the church in procession and celebrated his feast, after which they returned home with it. However, when they were again struck by the plague, they repeated their entreaty to the saint and this time, they vowed to keep the statue permanently in the church. In 1912, when the Archbishop visited Anjuna Church, the Confraternity installed an altar to the right side in honor of St. Sebastian. The feast day has always been the third Sunday of August since then. In 1933, an altar matching the one facing it that was already dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary was constructed. A crypt was also constructed beneath the altar to hold the statue of Jesus used for Crucifixion on Good Friday and other paraphernalia belonging to the Crucifixion ceremony during Lenten services. The large statue of St. Sebastian that is installed on the altar was donated to the church by the potters. The little old one was taken and installed in a small chapel dedicated to the saint in Kumbharvaddo. Every year, a mass is celebrated at this chapel on the second day of the feast and celebrations continue in the ward with special games like breaking of pots and coconuts – blindfolded, and various other games. In the olden days, the kumbhar was considered a great artist next to God because just as God created human beings per His art, the kumbhar also prepared objects from different moulds of clay with the help of the traditional potter’s wheel. The household earthenware utensils which the kumbhars turned out have contributed in no small measure. Most of us grew up cooking and eating in earthenware. Who can forget the “kulnnem or tovli”, “buddkulo”, “manon”, “tizal”, “bhandd”, “kodem”, etc? There was a time we could not do without potters' pots, as all household kitchen utensils were made of earthenware. Even if we wanted to draw water from a well, we needed a “kollso” (pot). When we planted “porsum” (orchard), we needed pots to draw water from “onddo” (puddle). We could not warm water without a “bhandd”. There were no refrigerators; so, we used a rooster-shaped “gurguret” (water container) for storing daily drinking water. The potters of Anjuna used clay from Gaumvaddy fields but it was so good that pots hardly broke which is why they shifted to Parra clay fields! Somehow, the community in question did not receive special recognition neither during pre-liberation nor post-liberation. But, today there are several small scale industries, especially in Bicholim Taluka where they produce earthen pottery and sell in the market, especially to tourists. Some of the greatest murals in Five Star Hotels, palatial houses and commercial buildings are the work of kumbhars from Bicholim. The Kumbharvaddo, which has now been re-named after the saint’s name “St. Sebastião vaddo’, starts soon after St. Michael’s Church and ends at the border of Assagao. Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Gaumvaddy, Anjuna _________________________________________________________________ Searching for the best deals on travel? Visit MSN Travel. http://msn.coxandkings.co.in/cnk/cnk.do
