VASCO
At a time when large-scale public Cribs have been few on account of the Covid pandemic, the ‘Friends of Chicalim’ group have created a unique Crib in a pond which has attracted visitors from across the State.
Chicalim Panchayat Sarpanch Seby Pereira, a founder member of the group, said they had been involved in making cribs since 2014 and their first crib that year had won them the first prize at an all-Goa crib competition.
"All these years, the cribs were made on land but sadly, the land which is on private property was not available this time and we decided to have a crib in the Chicalim pond. The Crib has huge decorative lighting and since my family has around 15 ducks, it has added to the beauty of the Crib,” said Pereira.
“This is the first time we made a crib in water and we placed it in the pond with the help of bamboos using our friends who are good divers.”
Pereira said the Crib will be kept for display till January 6.
“The Crib has a Santa Claus that moves and several birds that chirp with the sound of a clap. Most statues in the Crib like Mary, Joseph and even camels and cows are moving and the crib is so huge that it cannot be captured in a single photograph," said Pereira.
Pereira said it took the group around 25 days to make the Crib and get sticks and bamboos installed in the pond to make several platforms to lay the Crib.
Pereira said their journey in the making of cribs initially began with him and three friends, while many people later joined in and they formed the "Friends of Chicalim" group.
"We three friends were initially making small cribs till one fine day Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho came to my house and encouraged us to make a large crib and he also helped us. That was the start of our journey. The first crib we made got the first prize and we never looked back," said Pereira.
