Everyone’s social media status and Whatsapp updates change to December is here, Christmas is round the corner, December- when every day is a Friday weekend and too much such happy status from December 1 onward. While people get excited about Christmas and try their best to stay traditional and still party through December, their hectic work schedules make it difficult to really bring in the Christmas cheer.
Chemoul Barreto explains to us how she as a kid, would help her father put up the Christmas decor as early as December 1 itself and the joy was coming together and putting up a Christmas tree sawed from the garden or decorating a real tree in the garden itself.
“Times have changed, we’ve obviously like everyone else moved to a fiber tree and putting it up on December 1 is really tough. We try our best but generally can't. I got to wait for my second Saturday weekend or sometimes even for the December 19 holiday to put the tree. The decor again is readymade,” explain Chemoul who’s now 26.
While 17-year old Alicia Fernandes from Chandor still likes her Christmas to be traditional and goes all out to make a piece of Christmas decor annually. She remembers how she sourced some craft paper last year and made some lovely hollies. She hopes to piece together a few more decorations just ahead of Christmas, though like other students is also going through the examinations and studies grind right down till December 22. Alicia also says making the crib, creating a warm atmosphere for baby Jesus and helping the family put up the lights and curtains is the real joy of Christmas.
Arina Pinto, a teacher from Pilar school, brings together a community of children to go around caroling in Margao annually which she says brings a lot of joy and cheer as the kids wear attires themed in red, green and white and little elf headgears. “The children come but they are at the mercy of the parents schedule and it’s not like our days when kids would make these plans themselves and came together to sing carols. Also we’re confined to sing in Comba and around the Holy Spirit church only because of the few heritage homes there,” said Arina.
She also adds, “Otherwise it’s difficult to go to building complexes and sing where homes are vertical and people keep their doors closed because of security reasons. I keep the caroling tradition alive and I pray it remains that way.”
While Dulcina Perreira from Baradi who takes orders and goes to homes to cook for occasions and parties says that Christmas would be a time where she would have women invite her to their homes in the evening to grate coconut, knead the dough to make neuris and kulkuls and to roll the batter for these sweets.“It’s this little tradition we have where we make a cross of maida and fry it in oil. It’s a way to test the oil and its heat and also a sign to start the Christmas sweets frying with a small prayer,” explain Dulcina.
Dulcina tells us that the tradition of making doce and dodol is slowly dwindling and people depend on readymade sweets available in the market. She also knows that women are no longer housewives and hence call her to assist in sweet making while they themselves go to work till evening.
“I now make dodol at home and a few neuris and pack in small polythene bags and keep and families just ahead of Christmas come and buy these packs from us regularly. So I know that my generation of cooks who visit homes in December to cook for Christmas or even December weddings may not do so in years to come,” says Dulcina in her mid-60’s with a heavy heart.
While Roussel Miranda from Hype entertainment explains to us how over a decade he has been organizing a Christmas ball at Kesarval and is happy with the kind of crowd he gets.
“It’s a little tricky you see, young kids want to party on December 24 night and I want to keep away the crowd that wants EDM and a DJ. Let’s promote our bands and let the Christmas dancing be a ball with slow music and jive. It’s a hard choice to make but I want tradition to triumph over revenues. We’re a few traditional Christmas Balls and New Year eve dances in Goa,” explains Rousel.
While Rinton Cardozo from Mobor explains to us how December 25 is about getting together with his siblings to cook and pull out the roast pork, barbequed chicken, the sausage pulao while also taking turns to deliver Christmas goodies to the neighbors. They also take this time tof the year to throw their parents a special Christmas lunch. “I am overseas and my siblings are very busy but this tradition of putting a lunch together on December 25 is what we want to keep in the Cardozo home."
The tradition of weddings in Goa is also evolving. We still have our big fat Goan weddings but a lot is changing. From killing a home-reared pig and celebrating in the afternoon in the backyard till 5 pm, the weddings have moved to late evenings. The sound and liquor restrictions have these late night weddings end by 11pm. And the rise of event managers and planners has edged the family drama pre-wedding prep. “For my Elder sister’s wedding, the table pieces and takeaways were made at home. 700 of those we made in a little human chain of 20 cousins painting jars, putting a frill, making flowers etc all while we sang, drank, laughed and had a blast. When my youngest sister got married, all we did was set up the home on the eve of the wedding. Everything came from the decorator and event planner. Life has truly changed and the way we do things,” stated Erwin.
Erwin also tells us that weddings and Christmas cheer happened in December because everybody would come down in that month. Erwin also says his fellow Hindu friends would come over to help him make the crib and even visit him on Christmas evening and there was not really a Catholic exclusive presence. Christmas cheer in December was always across communities.
