Christian Koliwada festival begins today

Days after the Koli festival in Mahim came to an end, the Christians from Juhu Koliwada are all set to hold their own festival today. The festival will be organised by the youth organisation associated with the Holy Cross Church in Juhu Koliwada.

“Along with the Kolis, the Christians have been the original inhabitants of the city. This festival is a depiction of our lives in the Koliwadas,” said Larson Fernandes, vice president of the parish council and the committee which will be organising the festival.

The one-day festival will be held in Juhu Koliwada. The organisers picked December 1 as it is the first Sunday of Christmas season.

Fernandes added that the Kolis won’t be a part of the festival. “This is the first time we are conducting this festival and we do not have capacity to have a joint festival with the Kolis. The festival is a small affair this year, but next year, we’ll have a bigger space which can hold around 4,000 people,” he added.

At the festival, visitors will be given a flavour of the lives of Christians in the Koliwada through mandos, dulpods and tiatrs. “Mandos are traditional songs that is normally sung on special occasions like births and weddings. Dulpods, on the other hand, are a way of sending message to the locals,” said Fr Edmund Mascarenhas of the Holy Cross Church.

Fernandes added, “Tiatrs are Konkani skits performed with ghumats (a percussion instrument made out of earthenware) and guitars.”

Vistors will also get to try traditional cuisine like vindaloo and sorpotel. “We will also have Goan breads and other delicacies associated with the Koliwada cuisine that is popular with Christians,” said Fernandes.