Stacy Sequeira from Aldona, reigning Teen of the Year (Goa), received the Sacrament of Confirmation on December 10. Her father, my friend Heston, decided to use the opportunity to hang the Christmas decorations and lighting a bit earlier and kill two birds with one stone. Their almost-opposite neighbours, the Almeidas, also had a major celebration planned for the next Sunday – George and Lorna were celebrating the christening of their second child. Taking Heston’s lead, the Almeidas too decided to put their Christmas décor in place earlier than usual.
That night a Moidekar, Godfrey Gonsalves, passed the decorated Sequeira and Almeida residences and stopped at Bar Manuel nearby for a drink and to find out why the area was lit up well ahead of Christmas. Godfrey queried the barman Edwin D’Souza, who decided to pull the Moidekar’s leg and told him that it was a sign of good education. The well-educated always put out their decorations early, like in the West.
Now, our Moidekar Godfrey was quite wealthy, having worked in the Gulf for a good 30 years and having built his regulation RCC bungalow bang on the road in Moira. But Godfrey always carried a chip on his shoulder because of his lack of education. He had just managed to scrape through his SSC exam and then studied AC & Refrigeration at a private institute before finally getting a lucky break in Bahrain.
Godfrey wanted to show that he was as educated as the others, so he promptly went home and told his sons and daughters-in-law to put out the Christmas décor. They did so with a vengeance that included stringing colourful “series” bulbs over the roof and compound wall and around the giant Christmas tree in the front yard. Since Moidekars are a competitive and eccentric lot, the entire ward was lit up and ready for Christmas by the next night. And by the night after that, the whole of Moira.
Nachinola followed suit, naturally, and within a week the whole of Bardez and North Goa was prematurely decorated for Christmas. Now, before we slip into rural socio-politics, let us get back to the theme of this column – Christmas decorations in Goa.
Star and crib competitions
Whereas in the West mistletoe, ivy and holly plants are used to make decorations at home, Goans use thermocol – and sometimes mangrove leaves which resemble holly. Every Catholic house has a Christmas Star hanging outside. Decades back, Christmas Stars were made at home by using bamboo sticks and fine paper sheets called “folli”. The stars were five-pointed and made rotund to accommodate a candle or bulb and the accompanying heat without causing fire.
In 1964, Blaze D’Souza from Borda experimented and made a seven-pointed star, with one point majestically longer than the others. It won the First Prize at the parish Star Competition, and the devious Blaze, knowing that he might not be able to duplicate the feat next year, retained the skeleton. Changing the folli and bulb colour every year, he won the competition three years in a row, before the judges wisened up that it was the same star.
The one feature that makes Goan Christmas décor truly unique is the “gotto” (Konkani for grotto/crib depicting the birthplace of Jesus). The gottos that are entered into the parish Crib Competition take weeks of preparation. Crucial to success is uniformity in the “nachnem” grass. Nachnem (millet) is sown in a thin layer of mud or sand, which is then carefully tended till one gets a miniature lawn that may not accurately represent the landscape or vegetation in Bethlehem but is significant to the judges of the Crib Competition.
Mary, Joseph and GI Joe
Another standard crib item is the “lake”, consisting of a horizontal mirror or glass piece being covered on the edges with soil and giving the appearance of water. Since biblical descriptions of geographical features are vague, crib competitors indulge in a bit of creativity and it is not unusual to see functional waterfalls and erupting volcanoes dotting the landscape. And a bright animated star is of course crucial.
Curiously though, in addition to the standard painted clay figures of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Kings, Shepherds and assorted Camels and Sheep, one should not be shocked to find in a typical Goan Catholic crib, little plastic figurines of GI Joe, Spiderman, a fire engine, Barbie dolls and some Disney characters. This is considered acceptable. In fact, I recall as a kid religiously collecting the miniature plastic animals (including tigers and elephants) that came with Binaca toothpaste – to insert them in the crib landscape.
Till as close as 20 years back, the Christmas tree was made by cutting a branch from the closest casaurina tree. Or one grew a Christmas Tree (araucaria) in a pot or in one’s garden. Unlike now, very few people then could afford the imported artificial Christmas trees which cost a bomb. I remember as a young boy cycling for nearly 5 kilometres to visit a friend of a friend who had such a tree and being awed by it.
Animating social causes
String Lights (called fairy lights by gays and “series” by Goans) have always been around. The ones with tiny bulbs, called rice lights, were a hit when they appeared some 10 years back. Currently the lights-in-a-plastic-transparent-hose seem to be the most popular, along with the ones with a control on the light movement and the corresponding tune – normally a monotonic squeaky Christmas carol. Fibre optic lighting too has come of age and become economical.
Before I am accused of being communal and not mentioning anything about Hindus, who make up 76% of Goa’s population, I would like to state that Goan Hindus can teach Goan Catholics a lot about crib animation. Check out how Hindus have mastered the art of making figures move mechanically in their Ganesha and Narkasur pandals. And also making contemporary political and social comments using mythological analogies. A heady blend of such technologies would make cribs that will not only be delightfully animated but would also serve to highlight social causes. Imagine the Three Kings gliding, with respective camels, on a concealed track and bringing gifts of Enlightenment for the Goan Electorate, Conscience for Goan Politicians and Unlimited Broadband Connections for Everyone.
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That night a Moidekar, Godfrey Gonsalves, passed the decorated Sequeira and Almeida residences and stopped at Bar Manuel nearby for a drink and to find out why the area was lit up well ahead of Christmas. Godfrey queried the barman Edwin D’Souza, who decided to pull the Moidekar’s leg and told him that it was a sign of good education. The well-educated always put out their decorations early, like in the West.
Now, our Moidekar Godfrey was quite wealthy, having worked in the Gulf for a good 30 years and having built his regulation RCC bungalow bang on the road in Moira. But Godfrey always carried a chip on his shoulder because of his lack of education. He had just managed to scrape through his SSC exam and then studied AC & Refrigeration at a private institute before finally getting a lucky break in Bahrain.
Godfrey wanted to show that he was as educated as the others, so he promptly went home and told his sons and daughters-in-law to put out the Christmas décor. They did so with a vengeance that included stringing colourful “series” bulbs over the roof and compound wall and around the giant Christmas tree in the front yard. Since Moidekars are a competitive and eccentric lot, the entire ward was lit up and ready for Christmas by the next night. And by the night after that, the whole of Moira.
Nachinola followed suit, naturally, and within a week the whole of Bardez and North Goa was prematurely decorated for Christmas. Now, before we slip into rural socio-politics, let us get back to the theme of this column – Christmas decorations in Goa.
Star and crib competitions
Whereas in the West mistletoe, ivy and holly plants are used to make decorations at home, Goans use thermocol – and sometimes mangrove leaves which resemble holly. Every Catholic house has a Christmas Star hanging outside. Decades back, Christmas Stars were made at home by using bamboo sticks and fine paper sheets called “folli”. The stars were five-pointed and made rotund to accommodate a candle or bulb and the accompanying heat without causing fire.
In 1964, Blaze D’Souza from Borda experimented and made a seven-pointed star, with one point majestically longer than the others. It won the First Prize at the parish Star Competition, and the devious Blaze, knowing that he might not be able to duplicate the feat next year, retained the skeleton. Changing the folli and bulb colour every year, he won the competition three years in a row, before the judges wisened up that it was the same star.
The one feature that makes Goan Christmas décor truly unique is the “gotto” (Konkani for grotto/crib depicting the birthplace of Jesus). The gottos that are entered into the parish Crib Competition take weeks of preparation. Crucial to success is uniformity in the “nachnem” grass. Nachnem (millet) is sown in a thin layer of mud or sand, which is then carefully tended till one gets a miniature lawn that may not accurately represent the landscape or vegetation in Bethlehem but is significant to the judges of the Crib Competition.
Mary, Joseph and GI Joe
Another standard crib item is the “lake”, consisting of a horizontal mirror or glass piece being covered on the edges with soil and giving the appearance of water. Since biblical descriptions of geographical features are vague, crib competitors indulge in a bit of creativity and it is not unusual to see functional waterfalls and erupting volcanoes dotting the landscape. And a bright animated star is of course crucial.
Curiously though, in addition to the standard painted clay figures of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Kings, Shepherds and assorted Camels and Sheep, one should not be shocked to find in a typical Goan Catholic crib, little plastic figurines of GI Joe, Spiderman, a fire engine, Barbie dolls and some Disney characters. This is considered acceptable. In fact, I recall as a kid religiously collecting the miniature plastic animals (including tigers and elephants) that came with Binaca toothpaste – to insert them in the crib landscape.
Till as close as 20 years back, the Christmas tree was made by cutting a branch from the closest casaurina tree. Or one grew a Christmas Tree (araucaria) in a pot or in one’s garden. Unlike now, very few people then could afford the imported artificial Christmas trees which cost a bomb. I remember as a young boy cycling for nearly 5 kilometres to visit a friend of a friend who had such a tree and being awed by it.
Animating social causes
String Lights (called fairy lights by gays and “series” by Goans) have always been around. The ones with tiny bulbs, called rice lights, were a hit when they appeared some 10 years back. Currently the lights-in-a-plastic-transparent-hose seem to be the most popular, along with the ones with a control on the light movement and the corresponding tune – normally a monotonic squeaky Christmas carol. Fibre optic lighting too has come of age and become economical.
Before I am accused of being communal and not mentioning anything about Hindus, who make up 76% of Goa’s population, I would like to state that Goan Hindus can teach Goan Catholics a lot about crib animation. Check out how Hindus have mastered the art of making figures move mechanically in their Ganesha and Narkasur pandals. And also making contemporary political and social comments using mythological analogies. A heady blend of such technologies would make cribs that will not only be delightfully animated but would also serve to highlight social causes. Imagine the Three Kings gliding, with respective camels, on a concealed track and bringing gifts of Enlightenment for the Goan Electorate, Conscience for Goan Politicians and Unlimited Broadband Connections for Everyone.