Christmas in Goa has similarities with Guyana

Dec 29, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The Christmas celebration is vibrant in Goa, India, though not as exciting as say in Guyana or Europe or the Guyanese diapsora in North America.
Although Christians make up only a couple percentage of India’s population, Christmas is a holiday in India, making India the only country in the world where a religious minority is recognized with national public holidays.
Goa is an eminent destination for (European) tourists to India. It is very busy during this time of the year.
The wealthy classes from various parts of India come to Goa for vacation during the holiday season and for the summer holidays (May and June). People come to Goa for fun and relaxation. It has the most beautiful beaches in India; Bollywood films are shot here. There is a lot of greenery everywhere from airport to the far corners of the state similar to Guyana.
Goa was colonized by the Portuguese who have left a lot of their influence in the small state in terms of religion and clothing. It is a Christian dominated with historical Catholic churches and a Christian tradition. The churches have names similar to those in Italy and Portugal and were built by the colonial state as contrasted with Hindu religious places of worship built by private funding.
Christmas in Goa is one of the most important festivals that is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm similar to Guyanese. There is praying, nativity scenes, gifting, and merry making. As among Guyanese, Christmas in Goa is celebrated on 25th December. (PS: In the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Greece, etc. among orthodox Christians, Christmas is on January 6 or 7).
Goa Christmas festival is marked with a lot of revelry not dissimilar from that in Guyana. People are very spiritual for the festival. Goa Christmas celebrations began with midnight mass in the eve of the holiday accompanied with the singing of Christmas carols, which is followed by offering prayers in the church, and exchanging gifts at home on the day itself. There is also a special lunch and dinner after Christmas day service at the church.
The countless churches are beautifully decorated with lights and shining stars. The larger churches host a midnight mass outside and special meals for church goers as well as the less fortunate, a practice not found in Guyana or among the diaspora in North America or even in the West.
As in Guyana, there was a lot firecrackers that lit up the night sky disturbing the peace. The market places and building in the urban areas are also attractively decorated with tinsel, buntings, lights and trimmings.
In Goa, only Christians decorate for Christmas unlike say in Guyana, Trinidad and the US or Canada where (Caribbean) Hindus and Muslims also decorate their homes and businesses for the season. The decorations in Goa are not as extravagant and spectacular as amongst Guyanese in the diaspora or in Guyana. On the trees are hung candies, sparkling stars, cotton flakes, cakes, socks, and a number of other decorative items. Gifts are also placed under the trees. There is a brightly lit white star in front of homes of Christians. Some families have trees outside and or inside their homes.
The church compounds have nativity scenes put up on the day before Christmas. There is evidence of Hindu rituals in the Christian practices: cross is garlanded with malas, various offerings of food, fruits, and other rituals found in Hindu practices like. During the festival, Christians dress themselves in the finest of their (western) clothes. One can distinguish a Christian female through mode of dress (western clothed unlike Hindus or Muslims who wear traditional gar like saris or shalwars).
Frolicking parties form an inevitable part of Christmas season in Goa. On the beaches, there are bonfire and evening parties with dancing and boozing. There are also various water sports, swimming, snorkeling, and building sand castles. The trees have shining bright lights and shimmering adornments. Christmas carols are played in the church area and at homes. Red poinsettas decorate in front of homes and hotels.
Goan cuisine is a delight for food lovers. As in many parts of Guyana on the Atlantic coast, sea-food in Goa is a staple. People eat fresh sea food. People are not into much meat which is so much more expensive than fish; much of food is cooked in coconut milk. And as in Guyana, alou is added to much of the curried dishes. A visit to Goa is incomplete without being mesmerized by its scintillating buffet of seafood offered y five star hotels or restaurants that go for about than US $25 that would easily cost four times in North America or Mexico. Roti is different than in Guyana or among the Guyanese diaspora; there is no dhal puri but there is alou paratha and plain naan or chapati that we get in NY in the Indian shops or restaurants. There is also an assortment of scrumptious desserts that are made just for Christmas including fruit cakes similar to those made by Guyanese though the taste is quite different than ours. The open markets or alfresco have countless number of stalls selling homemade chocolates and cakes.
There is also an abundance of fruits – both tropical (mangoes, bananas, melons, citrus, etc.) and temperate (apples, plums, apricots, strawberries), all grown in India. Coconuts are found everywhere with its water a favorite among locals as well as visitors from abroad. Coconuts are sold dirt cheap. There are literally millions of coconut trees in Goa reminiscent of what Guyana was like during the 1970s.
It is remarkable that the celebration of Christmas in Goa is not restricted only to the Christians. People belonging to various religious communities participate in the festival with immense enthusiasm. The beaches form the center of the festivities among non-Christians. Loud music (carols, Bollywood, western) and dance clubbed with sumptuous dishes mark the festivities on the beaches. The make shift restaurants, with decorated Christmas trees, are quite busy during this period of the year. Hindus and Muslims partake in the festivities with shopping, preparing special meals, and going kite flying.
During the season, youngsters are seen flying kite and Hindus and Muslims join their Christian friends to fly kites. However, unlike say in the West Indies where one can visit a home and are offered drinks and a hearty meal, Christian don’t invite non-Christians in their homes for that special meal or to partake in the celebration; it is a kind of selfish, intra-religious celebration.
As among Guyanese in the US and Canada, the post-Christmas season in December, comes the week of incessant partying that ends on New Year day almost all of which take place in the afternoons on the various beaches carried on well into the wee hours of the morning. Celebrants are entertained by local and international artistes or deejay music.
People from all religions join hands in the merry making with an energetic ambience and vivacity as experienced in the end of year celebrations in other parts of tropical Asia and the Caribbean.
There is much (if not more) fun and excitement and so much variety food in Goa for Christmas as it is in the Guynese diaspora.
Vishnu Bisram

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