Albert writes
Much before the fama of the feast our thoughts were on how to celebrate the
salves. . Though the important part of the novena and salves were to be kept
in mind most of us were concentrating on the outside which was made up of
Band, lanterns hung every where in different style and the fog. When the
communion was distributed the activity would start at the belfery. The
lanterns were stocked there and every ward member would be busy fixing
candle and lighting the same. While some would light the lanterns there were
others to pass on to those who were already at different heights of the
church even at the steeple there would be lanterns.The ladies and the elders
were engrossed in the church yard where already banners were put and there
the lanterns would be hung. As soon as the church service was over and as
people walked out they would look every where and one would find lanterns
lit, lanterns of different colours like green, blue, yellow, red and white
too. The design would be different each day. Where man power was strong you
would even see arcs of bamboos at different places in the church compound
and those arcs had lighted lanterns on it. The band would start playing
.Either it was Merry Makers or Johnson and jolly boys.At the end of a piece
crackers and fireworks would fill the air. The man of the fog was our Foger
sakaram who though had wrinkles all over his body which was thin and fragile
but his hands were steady with different types of fireworks which we called
"fog" There were gondals, sursurim, kombo kombi, umbrella, etc,People would
much hot hot bajas or capams or dirink red or green or orange sherbhett at
intervals. The children would not let go their parents unless that was given
to them. The bajas were also shared among friends. There were lots of
Mumbaikars who would descend on the soil of Goa specially for the feast and
the church adros or courtyard would be the meeting place of all these
bombaikars. So one would know which bombaikar has come down to Goa for the
feast. The programme ended at nine in the night. All the members of the ward
would dismantle the lanterns and the petromax would be used to light the
band stand would be carried home in style and every member of the ward would
have their hands full of bajas.
albert de souza
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