Merging religiosity with festivity
11 May 2008, 0259 hrs IST,Anabelle Colaco,TNN
MARGAO: The state's commercial city wakes up on this day to the sound of
music. It is the feast of the Holy Spirit and no sooner the church bells
peal at the crack of dawn, than a brass band sounds the alvorada (a song
describing the last rays of darkness and the first rays of dawn). The
music wakes up parishioners, beckoning them to the church.
Not just the shrine of the Holy Spirit, but the entire square around it
resonates with sound and the old quarter is transformed into a riot of
colour.
This is the pivotal feast of the church and is celebrated with pomp and
gaiety, emerging over the years as an important feast, not just because
of its significance in the Christian calendar, but due to the Holy
Spirit being the patron of the parish.
Fr V Lourenco, parish priest explains, The feast of the Holy Spirit is
celebrated 48 days after Easter and it falls either in May or June,
preceded by a novena that is meant to prepare not only the peoples'
minds, but their hearts and souls as well for the coming of the Holy
Spirit.
The feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles
on the day of pentecost, traditionally celebrated after the death and
ascension of Jesus Christ.
There is a beeline to the church from the wee hours of the morning.
Parishioners and other devotees decked in their festive finery make sure
they participate in mass on the day. The church bursts at its seams.
The solemn feast mass is held at 10 am and draws, among others,
traditionalists for whom a feast is not complete without attending the
high mass and procession.
The feast mass is celebrated by a number of priests and the sermon is
usually delivered by the main celebrant whose oratory talents keep the
congregation latched on to his every word.
After the mass a solemn procession, led by priests and members of the
confraria (confraternity) and followed by a large number of devotees,
wends its way around the church compound and re-enters the church for
the final blessing. And then it is time to spread some cheer, by
embracing friends and neighbours and wishing them a happy feast.
Traditionally, the feast of the Holy Spirit was celebrated by a mordomo,
who financed all the arrangements involved in the celebrations. The
mordomo was chosen from among the confraria of the church.
Fr Lourenco says, Till two years ago, members of the confraria
celebrated this feast but today, the entire community celebrates.
The church of the Holy Spirit, the oldest church in Margao, was founded
by the Jesuits in 1564. The present shrine was built in 1675 in
Neo-Roman style with Baroque features. 'Oriente Conquistado', a history
of Goa, describes it as the largest and most beautiful church in the
Salcette taluka.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Merging_religiosity_with_festivit
y/articleshow/3028920.cms
~(^^)~
Avelino
