A Short Recount of the Feast of St. Anne

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St. Anne's Church, Parra




It is the month of July 2024. We are very close to approaching 26 July 2024 - which as they say in Konkani - Santan Saibenichi Fest or the Feast of St. Anne of Parra.

Back in my home-town of Parra - it is a big festival that happens yearly during the monsoon season. By tradition, the local church holds daily novenas every evening in honour of petitions of the gathering. It is thrilling to see the people gathered from all the 'waddos' coming together to remember and venerate our patron - St. Anne who is known to be the saint of grand-parents and mothers. At the end of each novena, a troup of irmaos or brothers as the word translates in Portuguese with red capes, carry the cross of Jesus as a sign of veneration and a commemoration to our saint signalling the end of another blessed evening.

As we approach the feast day, the church is beholden with people from all across the countryside wearing their best suites and gowns as this is but one of the biggest feasts in town. With the traditional brass band being hired to perform before and after the mass in the gazebo, to the sound of fireworks heard at the end of the service- it is indeed a feast that has a special place in the hearts and minds of the Porrikars.

Stalls selling cardubudios, laddoos and a few ornamental items lay abound as the church-goers greet each other, sharing happiness and joy as they are filled with the blessings and grace of the high mass, celebrated by the parish priest along with the other assistant priests from other vicariates who join in to partake in the grand celebration.



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