Christmas time in Goa 1965

Pictures converted to digital from

Kodachrome Transparency 35mm 64ASA

Camera: Samoca, Japan.

YULETIDE OF THE 1960's - Goa.

(Christmas in Goa of my youth - 1965)

On the left of the window is a sign that reads 'Happy Xmas'. This sign was painted on walls of all Christian homes using a cut-out stencil by us, youngsters of that generation, in the wee hours of Christmas Day soon after attending Midnight Mass.

Two lads held the cardboard cut-out stencil in place, while I brushed blue through the stencil and two others held lanterns on each side. Stealthily we moved from house to house when the folks were asleep. They were surprised to see the signs when they woke up in the morning on Christmas day.

Seen on the top right of this picture is the typical and traditional 5-pointed 'Noketr' (Star) in every home (except in the year when a family grieves for a lost one). It was made from a set of two star-shaped expanded pieces of bamboo framework, put together with translucent paper, guruth (glue made from flour and water) tassels for the five pointers, 'pontti' (oil lamp) or candle to illuminate it, a 20 feet long bamboo pole, pulley and coir rope to haul the 'star' up into the sky! This common star has never gone out of style since then, and for sure never will.

My bicycle tilting on its stand in the picture is 'Atlas' complete with horn, bell, lamp, rear view mirror and bracket. On the sopo (seat) on the right of the 'balcão' (balcony) is a Philips portable transistor radio, quite possibly tuned to Radio Ceylon, the most powerful Short-wave Radio Station of that era..The house was built by my late father in the year 1935 when he was 34 years old.

As can be seen by the length of the shadows, I took the picture early in the morning. Camera: Samoca, Japan. Film: Kodachrome Transparency Film 35mm 64ASA.

Power for the lighting of the crib was provided by batteries. I collected as many as possible discarded standard size 1.5 V batteries from old radios in the village, in advance; checked and kept only those that had some life in the them. I made a plywood box to hold 8 batteries of 1.5V each and wired them in series to give about 12V or less, then used 2 bulbs of 6V each in series - 1 for the manger and the other for the star.

At other times of the year I fitted a salvaged reflector from an old torch and fitted it to the front end of the wooden box mentioned above. This was the most powerful flashlight in our village and perhaps, beyond!

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