Goans who are unable to come home this Christmas share with NT BUZZ how they will be keeping things merry wherever they are
NT BUZZ
There is no place quite like home. And nothing makes one as homesick as being away from home at Christmas time. While this is the season that everybody makes it a point to be at home, no matter which part of the world they are, not all are able to owing to various reasons like college or work. But they try to keep the festive spirit going wherever they are.
Christmas away from home is always hard but it’s also a moment of reflection, gratefulness, and introspection of how far we have come. On days like these, although spent with friends; the warmth of family and simple things like going to church, cooking a hearty meal, making Christmas sweets etc. is terribly missed.”
– Michelle D’mello, Amsterdam
Celebrating Christmas away from my home is like having plum cake without enough rum. I miss family, Mass at midnight, after Mass celebrations at the chapel and proper home food the most. Onboard, we celebrate with shipmates, make the best of whatever food is available, and enjoy Christmas on the ship, just with more safety drills and less sleep.”
-Dayle Savio Fernandes, Aruba
Honestly, Christmas outside Goa just hits different. You don’t get that same buzz or warmth, but you kind of make peace with it. We decorate a bit, try to cook Goan food, and keep the day low-key with friends. At the office, it’s a small celebration with a few snacks and cake. Later at night, my friends, colleagues and I make a sort of potluck to save money and have a few drinks. It’s not the same but its fun. I still miss the chaos and comfort of Christmas back home as the whole locality comes together. Here it’s more commercial than festive.”
-Naomi Carvalho, Bengaluru
This is my second Christmas away from home, and honestly, it’s not the same. I really miss a Goan Christmas. That said, we try to recreate a little bit of home wherever we are. We put up some decorations, make our usual Christmas sweets, and visit the Christmas markets. Thankfully, with so many Indians and Goans around now, getting the right ingredients isn’t difficult anymore, which makes it a little easier to keep those traditions alive.”
-Alria Lourenco, London
I am going to miss my family; we have this tradition of visiting all the extended family, exchanging gifts, gossip and our ‘kuswars’, and having that wonderful sleep-inducing lunch. I am going to miss that the most this year. We are going to share the spirit of Christmas with our neighbours here in Bengaluru by distributing sweets to them and having our own grand Christmas lunch. I will also probably be on video call with our family back home the entire day.”
– Sabrina Carvalho, Bengaluru
Honestly, I haven’t been able to celebrate Christmas in Goa since 2012,when I moved to Bahrain. I’ve missed the Christmas dances, the sweets, the midnight Mass. But over the last few years, and this year too, I will miss my loved ones in Goa the most. Watching their faces light up as we open gifts after Mass is what I most cherish. I work as a DJ, so every year I get to celebrate Christmas with a party and get
paid too.”
– DJ Aaron Wolf, Bahrain
For starters, I will miss out on the excitement and chaos of decorating the house followed by the mandatory family Christmas party filled with carols and laughter. I will also miss the traditional Christmas cuisine like stuffed turkey, sorpotel, beef stew, spicy tandoori fish, with vibrant salads complementing every dish, and the desserts like the rum-soaked Christmas cake, bebinca, and chocolate tarone. This year, being away from home, I’ll spend it with someone I truly cherish. To be honest, she has planned to surprise me with something, so I’m still uncertain about what the plan is. But we’ll probably head to a cafe that boasts great ambience and delicious food for a cozy holiday treat or join a Christmas party just to keep the day festive.
– Johann Martins, Bengaluru
It’s hard being away during the month of December. It starts right from missing the cold mornings to putting up the tree and lights — that cheer around the house during the Christmas season. I help Mom make Christmas sweets, and I just wait for that week to come. I used to try to plan my trips in such a way that I’d be home in December, but it’s not always possible for seafarers. I’m going to miss being out after midnight Mass. But being here, we have a few Christians around — mainly the Filipino guys — and they look forward to Christmas just as much. We’ve already put up the tree and have a party planned for the 25th. The highlight is a whole suckling pig on the grill. But whatever we do here can never match spending Christmas back home with your loved ones.
– Kaiser Almeida, U.S.A.
Although I enjoy independent living, the holidays do feel incomplete without my close family. Sitting around the dinner table, eagerly making sweets for hours before finally tasting them is such a fun experience. Then there are the festive Goan meals cooked with recipes passed down from my grandparents. I definitely miss those the most. I attempt the dishes but they aren’t the same, unfortunately. And of course, pulling down the dusty decorations from the storage and filling all of the house with it.
I’m lucky to have a grand aunt to visit in the U.K. and my Christmas will be spent with her and her husband, visiting local celebrations and carol singing gatherings, feasting on mulled wine, minced pies, and roast chicken. I’ll also attend Mass because for me, the most important of all is keeping ‘Christ’ in Christmas!”
– Cian Ferrao, U.K.
(Compiled by Kalyani Jha, Vinika Viswambharan, and Christine Machado)
