As the morning chill sets in, homes in Goa come alive with a familiar warmth as December brings home those who've been away. Otherwise caught up in jobs and eking out a life, Goans seeking better prospects outside the state book their return flights to Goa, a place that never ceases to feel like home.
The four walls get energised by the mere presence of familiar faces. Those who remain back still adjusting to the silence that comes with people moving away, wake up to giggles and chuckles that now fill the vacant rooms, rousing them from a restful slumber.
And after all that time of being away – a few months or a couple of years – returning to Goa brings to the surface varied emotions.
For the people back home, it's the little things, like asking the poder (Goan baker) to deliver an extra eight loaves of bread than the usual two or just having a stack of dirty dishes in the sink, the chore one suddenly develops a fondness for.
A SAFE HAVEN
“Coming back to Goa always gives me a nostalgic feeling, although some things look so different,” says Steve D'Souza a youth from Taleigao who has returned to Goa after two years.
Although that yearning to catch up with friends and relish the food one grew up eating is always there, it’s heightened three-fold as the distance between them and these familiar things increases.
“Well, I miss the food especially the cutlet bread from Teixeira and of course my friends back in Goa,” mentions Steve who's amused that once back, the only burning question posed to him is: when is he taking the plunge into marriage.
MAGIC IN EVERY MOMENT
And like Steve, many choose and meticulously plan to spend the month of December in Goa because it’s a double bonus - it’s Christmas and the wedding season.
Manuel Rodrigues and his wife Tracy from Divar, who’ve come down this December, find there's a stark difference in how the festival is celebrated abroad. “That feeling is not the same,” they inform.
Although people do decorate their houses and Goans living abroad have started making Christmas sweets in their new homes, it's still not the same as how it would be in Goa. “That's why we look forward coming to Goa in December and celebrate Christmas and New Year,” says Manuel.
A FEELING OF BELONGING
Francisco Silvester Pereira has returned to Goa after spending six months in Bangalore. “The reason behind my homecoming is to celebrate Christmas with my family,” he smiles, adding that being with them and the community during this magical time is the most beautiful reunion.
To him returning to Goa feels like stepping into a tapestry of deep belonging, where the threads are woven with genuine care and boundless love. “It's a place where connections are as warm as the sun-kissed beaches,” he adds.
Returning to Goa feels like stepping into a tapestry of deep belonging, where the threads are woven with genuine care and boundless love.
And the reactions are simply heartwarming after a prolonged absence from Goa. "Coming back to the embrace of old parents brings them solace, calming their anxieties and providing the reassurance of safety and togetherness,” he says, adding it’s like a healing dose of medicine, an infusion of pure dopamine.
GOA - SLIPPING THROUGH FINGERS
But with many moving away, the Goan way of life is slowly fading. Just like the tradition of villagers getting together to prepare Christmas sweets that Leopoldina Rodrigues from Aldona fondly recollects, “Back in the day, we didn’t have ovens so we used to prepare sweets on firewood in the outdoors."
Imagine the laughter, food and latest village gossip one would get as the entire community pooled their resources and spent time together.
She adds, “This was especially done when someone died in the neighborhood. People from the ward got together at someone’s house and prepared sweets to give it to the mourning family.”
And although the aromas of fried kulkuls or baking baath (cake) waft familiarly in Goan kitchens, imagine the laughter, food and latest village gossip one would get as the entire community pooled their resources and spent time together.
Christmas is synonymous with all things associated with love – crib making with friends, the cozy family gatherings, celebrations with the community. But for some, the journey home isn't always possible, and so this Christmas they’ll hold onto to memories – the soothing rhythm of the waves, the tender caress of the Goan sand – close to their hearts.
