Men Are Back For St. Estevam’s Season Of Cheer
From the serene silence that is St. Estevam’s hallmark, the island village has burst into a riot of colours, laughter and unbridled joy since Christmas.
“This is one time during the year when I see most of my parishioners”, says a smiling Fr. Olavo D’Souza, parish priest of St. Estevam. At other times, the 1961 hit Where Have All The Flowers Gone? could well have been written for the village.
The St. Estevam men haven’t, however gone to war as the song’s men have, but have boarded ships and dropped anchor in the sea-faring profession to bring home the bacon. Saturday was the feast of the village patron – St. Stephen – and the missing men were home for it.
This year, the feast celebrations are on a grander scale. The present church was built in 1759 by the village communidade with local support and the islanders are commemorating its 250th anniversary.
“It’s three days of joy on the island: Christmas, followed by the feasts of St. Stephen on Saturday and Christ the king on Sunday.” Says social activist and artiste Jackson Dias.
Atop a hillock is the statue of Christ the King, standing besides a fort built around September 1668 and named after St. Francis Xavier. The view from here is majestic, with the gaze falling as far as the twin bridges across the river Mandovi in Panaji and the houses atop the capital city’s Altinho hillock.
It isn’t for nothing that the island is called “Ilha de Verde” (Green Island). Legends about this emerald estuarine beauty of narrow winding lanes with houses on either side and known for its ladyfingers abound. “Land is limited on the island and the best way to save space is to have common walls between out properties”, says Jackson Dias, who has composed the song Honrad Ami Zunvenkar (Proud to be islanders).
The island, which has produced some illustrious Goans, is currently having a love affair with the economic benefits and financial security that a salary aboard a ship can bring.
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