On February 2, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Candeia or Our Lady of
Candelaria, Light, Purification, Presentation, and so on. Candeia means a small lamp fixture with a tin plate, clay, or other material, suspended by a nail and filled with oil that soaks a wick, which was used to light homes in the olden days. This day, also known as Candlemass Day, honors the presentation of Christ in the Temple. The candle, which is of the most frequently used Sacramentals in the Church, is blessed during the Mass.
The Church blesses candles as a symbol of light, for men’s service, physical and spiritual well-being, and for people who wish to hold them in their hands with dignity. The priest prays to Christ, the Light and Fire of Charity, to bless these candles to remove the darkness, liberate us from the blindness of vice, and help us distinguish what is honorable to Him and profitable for the salvation of humanity.
According to the Law of Moses, mothers, after giving birth, were unclean and refrained from visiting the Temple of Jerusalem. On the fortieth day, she would appear before the high priest to present her sacrifice (a lamb and two doves or two turtledoves) and thus was purified. Joseph and Mary, with baby Jesus visiting the Temple forty days after the birth (Lk 2: 29-33) fulfill the legal purification of the mother following childbirth and the offering of the first-born male child to the Lord.
The Church of Jerusalem was the first to celebrate the feast since the 4th century. Emperor Justinian I ordered massive prayer processions across the city during the Feast of the Presentation to implore God for relief from the evil of the disease in response to a terrible plague that had struck Constantinople in the year 541 AD. After the epidemic subsided, the custom of reverently holding consecrated candles spread throughout the Roman Empire.
On the Candlemass day a procession was held at the old St Peter’s Basilica. The Armenians observe the day on February 14 and call it “The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple.” The Greeks called it “Hypapante,” the meeting of the Child Jesus and His Mother with Simeon and Anna in the Temple.
In the past, after the delivery of a child, mothers in Goa would go to the church for the first time, with a candle, to attend mass. All the churches celebrate the feast with a mass and a procession of candles.
The feast is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in the village of Pomburpa at the Church of Our Lady of Mother of God or Nossa Senhora Mae de Deus Igreja em Pomburpa, in Portuguese, popularly known as Our Lady of Candela or Our Lady of Candelaria. According to Frei FX da Costa in Anais Franciscanos em Bardes, the Church was founded in 1590 by two Franciscan Tertiaries, Luisa da Madre de Deus and her daughter Ana de Santa Maria. They donated the Church to the Franciscans vide a Deed dated June 11, 1604.
The Church is situated atop a hillock with buttresses in front and a bell tower at the back. The main altar has a gilded statue of Mãe de Deus, flanked by smaller statues of St Clara and St Francis of Assisi. Besides the main altar dedicated to Our Lady of Candelaria, the Church has three other altars dedicated to St Anthony, the Holy Family, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Church was under the Franciscans till 1766, after which they were forced to leave Bardez. After that, secular priests were appointed to administer the Church.
In addition to a few Goan families, the village of Pomburpa had many Fidalgos and Portuguese residents during the Portuguese era. They resided in big palatial bungalows about 2-3 km from the Church. The Fidalgos of Chorão and other aristocracy joined them on the feast day. Our Lady of Candelaria feast at Pomburpa Church was a significant occasion. A large fair was set up, where sellers would sell a range of goods on both sides of the road, including furniture, brass utensils, and food items. Since the Fidalgos attended the fair, the sellers did a brisk business.
Elegantly attired Fidalgos from Pomburpa would travel to the fair on horses or in horse-drawn carriages while being closely followed by slaves who provided them with beautiful damask umbrellas to protect them from the sun. In opulent Machillas, the noble ladies were also transported to the fair by the slaves. They showed up for amusement or to make purchases of essentials.
On one occasion, a poor child is said to have run across the road when the Fidalgos rode horses to the fair. The youngster was killed when one of the galloping horses ran over and stomped him to death. The sad incident left the community in despair.
In the future, they decided either to skip the fair or not to send their children to the fair. Hence, the Pomburpa Church feast got the name ‘Pompurbechim festam ghoribank nhoi’ (the Pomburpa feasts are not for the poor).
