Goans usher in Christmas with midnight mass, carols

Panaji: The peel of the midnight bells in churches and the carols reverberating the praise of Lord Jesus ushered in the Christmas festivities in Goa. The capital city was lit up and the markets gleamed with Christmas trees, bells, gifts, cakes and bebinca (a traditional Goan dessert) as tourists flocked to celebrate the festival in the coastal state, which has around 27 per cent Christian population.

Parishioners dressed in formal attire participated in the midnight masses across all the churches, heralding in the birth of Jesus Christ. Cribs, decorated in beautiful ways and displaying the birth of Lord Jesus, were seen at several houses in the state. A larger-than-life crib installed in front of Mary Immaculate Conception Church in Panaji was a major attraction with thousands of tourists visiting the place since midnight.

The streets of Panaji and Margao, the two main cities of Goa, were packed with vehicles till the wee hours as people participated in the traditional dance parties after the prayer service. The celebrations commencing today will now continue in the beach state till the new year.

Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrao, in his message, appealed to the people to spread the message of peace, love and harmony. “It’s Christmas again and the message it brings every year has not changed. The feast of the birth of Jesus Christ represents the victory of light over darkness, of joy over sadness, of hope over despair, of love over conflict,” he said in the message released last night to the parishioners.

The Archbishop said that “on Christmas the distant God becomes the Immanuel, the ‘God with us’, and we are called to re-discover Him in every other human being, especially in the poor and marginalised, with whom He has identified himself in an eminent way through his very birth in a stable.”  “When we do so, we become the leaven of a new society wherein everyone is welcomed, accepted and loved, without consideration of colour, creed or race,” he said.

He wished that the Christmas should spread the message of peace, love and harmony, both in word and deed. Police personnel were deployed at all the prominent churches in the state to avoid any untoward incident and security was also beefed up along the beaches.