Hello December!
You know what this means right?
Yes, the festive season with two big events – Christmas and New Year!
The festive season in Goa brings with it brightly lit streets, colourfully decorated and lit up homes and gardens, shopping and countless events. So, here’s a little guide to December and Christmas in Goa.
This article covers a variety of topics – right from a Christmas store to Christmas bakes and more. Read on to find out how people enjoy this season of lights and cheer.
Christmas Store
Have you ever come across an entire store that caters to all things Christmas? Goa has one and that too right in the capital city!
Panjim has a lot of heritage buildings, Portuguese houses and old establishments that reside in it. One such establishment, established in 1890, is Casa J D Fernandes, which is synonymous with stationery houses everything right from the standard books, pens, pencils to artsy ribbons, tapes, oil paints and even modelling clay.
This brick and mortar store with wood-panelled walls is located opposite Garcia de Orta or Panjim garden, as it is popularly known as.
It is currently owned by Oswald Fernandes who took over from his father in 1993 and is run by the fourth generation of Fernandes, his sons, Cornelio and Charlton, under their father’s guidance.
A few shops down the line you’ll find Santa standing on the pavement beside the entryway of an opening as if he were guarding it, and a little signboard that points downwards.
Once you step closer, you’ll see stairs leading down and guiding lights or baubles along the walls of it to direct you to it. As you walk downwards, you might even notice a Christmas tree or two at the bottom and a wooden door that welcomes you into Santaland or Christmas heaven.
This tiny basement place, run by the proprietors of Casa J D Fernandes, opens in November and is usually packed with people after work hours, on holidays and on days leading up to Christmas with everyone bustling to find the perfect decorations to take back home.
They have a mindboggling variety of items under that small ceiling – countless lights and stars hanging from the ceiling, Christmas trees, packets of baubles and other tree décor, boxes of decorations, miniatures as gifting options, Christmas caps, stacks of Christmas-themed napkins, basically anything and everything people might want/need for Christmas.
The sheer joy of stepping into this store has people coming in from all parts of the state. They make a good job of spreading Christmas cheer.
Apart from this store, a lot of other stores also stock up on Christmas decor, items and lights.
You’ll also find that the city markets like Panjim and Mapusa markets have stalls that are set up with Christmas decor and lots of stars on sale.
Sweet Tooth anyone?
Christmas is synonymous with Christmas sweets. If you’ve not had these while in Goa during the season then you haven’t celebrated the festival to the fullest.
Traditional Christmas sweets are often made at home and offered to family, guests and friends when they come visiting or sent to them in napkin-covered trays or boxes. But for those who cannot make them at home, there are a variety of outlets that sell them.
An old establishment which is a few metres away from Casa J D Fernandes opposite the Panjim garden, called Mr Baker 1922, is probably one of the oldest stores/bakeries. Like the name gives away, it was established in 1922. Most people of Panjim, especially the old-timers, flock here during Christmas season to get a loaf of Mr Baker’s Bebinca.
Bebinca is a traditional, layered Indo-Portuguese dessert. It is traditionally made of seven layers of cake comprising flour, egg yolk, sugar, ghee and coconut milk. This rich, delectable pudding is a must-have item at the table for Christmas.
Another Christmas sweet you’ll find here is the doce (meaning “sweet” in Portuguese). It is made using boiled split Bengal gram, ground coconut paste, and sugar and ghee cut into squares and served.
Apart from these people also make kulkuls, marzipan (a confection made of sugar & almond extract), neuryos or nevris (crescent-shaped pastries filled with coconut and jaggery) and dodol (palm-based toffee-like confection).
Most bakers venture into making Christmas hampers and festive gifting options during this season so there’s no dearth of sweets. Western elements like yule log, marshmallows and gingerbread men are also added to these.
Panjim Church
Christmas without a visit to any Church is incomplete, and the Panjim Church formally called Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, is one of the best ones to visit during this time.
The church is beautifully decked up in lights, a different way/pattern every year and it’s a sight to behold. As a matter of fact, all the churches around the state are beautifully lit up during this period and will have people thronging to them for midnight mass.
The churches that stand out apart from the Panjim church are Se Cathedral in Old Goa, the nearby St. Cajetan Church and Mae De Deus Church in Saligao.
As Christmas approaches, you get to witness one of the largest cribs in the state – a life-size one! The Panjim Church crib usually comprises baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the 3 Kings and even sheep apart from a hut, river and grass as surroundings.
You get to see the entire nativity scene at the base of the iconic church’s zigzagging steps. They had even mechanised the whole setup once. So, the different elements of the crib moved in limited to and fro motions.
The church lights are usually up since the start of December and the crib starts being made a week or so before Christmas. Both these are up for showcase for the rest of the month and finally culminates on 3 Kings Day, or the Epiphany, as it is called, on January 6th.
You can also dress your finest and choose to attend Midnight mass here on Christmas Eve, 24th December.
FYI, the Christmas mass is longer than the usual hour-long one.
Nativity Scene and Crib Hopping
Speaking of cribs, scenes depicting the birth of Jesus in cribs are put up in homes, churches, and even a few outdoor areas. The locals from the villages and their kids build the cribs and they are displayed for everyone to come and take a look.
Rather large cribs are made near a lake in Agassaim and in Margao.
People even participate in various competitions held across the state where they come up with innovative designs to make the crib and its surroundings.
Festival of Stars
Star making competitions are held in various places, including schools before they shut for the winter vacation.
The most popular one is the Festival of Stars held in Parra, Mapusa. People make hundreds of stars of all kinds and these are put up throughout an entire street. Right from straw to bamboos to jute to paper, you’ll find all kinds here. They are up only for a few hours, judged and then taken down.
You’ll also find the Panjim and Mapusa markets and other stores across the state flooded with stars that they sell.
As you head from Panjim to the south, you reach a place called Agaçaim or Agassaim just before you take the Zuari bridge. Here you’ll notice something lovely to your left on a small lane off the main road. You can take a walk under a blanket of stars over your head.
This is a yearly tradition followed by one of the residents of this quaint village along with his wife. Just to make things exciting, he would ask passers-by to guess the number of stars put up. (hint: close to 150)
Events, Events and More Events!
The end of the year (“peak season” in Goa) brings with it lots of events happening all over Goa, especially in the capital city of Panaji.
Here’s a list of the events & happenings around town include:
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
When: End of November or early December
Highlight: This year IFFI hosted the 50th edition of the festival and with Goa being a permanent venue there will be lots more to come
Feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Panjim Feast)
When: 8th December every year; unless it falls on a Sunday, like this year, then it is held on Monday 9th December.
Highlights: The street fair along the Church Square selling local items and tidbits.
Serendipity Arts Festival
When: Mid December
Highlights: Art Installations at multiple venues, Wall murals across the city, workshops and live events
It is one of the largest multi-disciplinary art initiatives in the South Asian region with art installations, wall art and murals, performances, workshops and more happening across the city in multiple venues held over a period of 8 days.
They showcase visual arts, performing and culinary arts, literature and film. It is a recent addition to Goa and this will be the fourth edition that Panaji will host this year.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
When: (Do you really want me to tell you when it is?) 24th and 25th December every year
Highlights: Christmas spirit across the state.
Starred hotels host brunches to celebrate Christmas so keep an eye out for these in the dailies.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
When: (Are you saying you don’t know this either?!) 31st December and 1st January year
Highlights: New Year’s Eve is brought in with great fervour with parties happening all over the state. Like is the case for Christmas, most starred hotels have dinners on New Year’s Eve and brunch the next day celebrating New Year’s.
Burning the Old Man
When: New Year’s Eve midnight
Highlights: In some neighbourhoods (vaddos), locals practice an age-old custom of burning an effigy nicknamed ‘The Old Man’. It is customary to follow this at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The effigies are made of old clothes and stuffed with hay and old cloth material. He symbolises the year gone by and the burning symbolises purging and bidding adieu to the old year and welcoming in the new one with cheer.
Party All Night
The season brings in countless parties across Goa and the best ones are during Christmas and New Year. There are even dedicated sections in the dailies listing out party options for both occasions.
Cause baby, you’re a Firework
Before the clock strikes 12 to ring in Christmas and New Year, head to the beach and catch the fireworks that light up the midnight skies in myriad hues across the state.
Signing off now.
Hope you have a lovely week ahead and I’ll see you next week.
Byee take care (tc).