Picturesque Goa

Picturesque Goa
NOSTALGIA - Articles,Poems & Photos

TONFERNS CREATIONS

TONFERNS CREATIONS
TONFERNS CREATIONS - Tony's Art & Hobbies

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Earth Day

 GOOGLE DOODLE - EARTH DAY


CHURCH WITH A PORTICO - ST. ANNE'S CHURCH, PARRA, GOA









 A major feature of this beautiful church, and a very rare one, is the portico with a terrace and a balustrade of this awesome piece of architectural wonder in an Indo-Portuguese blend. The portico also serves as a shelter when the church is full. It has an unique facade with steps leading to it from the front. It has some beautiful art - paintings along the corridors, frescoes on the ceiling and gold painted altars. All these have always fascinated me ever since I was a young lad when I accompanied my aunt and cousins for various feasts and functions, and also Konkani dramas that were held in front of this church. It was also my first inspiration for art. As a young lad growing up, I often attended major feasts at this church, walking to the church with my mother from our house in Guirim at Cumbiem Morod. As a teenager I rode on a bicycle, and as an adult on a scooter. Fond memories still persist all the more because my aunt and cousins lived in Parra, especially attending the solemn High Mass on the feast day of St. Anne, visiting the traditional fair that was held outside the church compound and then walk to my aunt's house for a delicious banquet on the grand occasion. 

In its idyllic setting against a backdrop of the hills behind the church, a beautiful straight road leads to it from Jaknim in Parra with scenic surroundings, often used as scenes in Hindi films. Flanked by breath-taking plush green fields in the monsoon season and coconut trees on both sides of the road is a sight to behold.This regional section of the road forms part of the scenic and winding road passing through the village of Guirim at Perxeth Vaddo on the Mapusa-Panjim highway through Parra Jaknim at the Tintto to St. Anne's Church, Parra Arrady, and onward to the left to Arpora, and right to Anjuna,Vagator, Chapora Fort and Siolim for a thrilling ride.

This Franciscan Rectorate of St. Anne, comprising the villages of Parra, Canca and Verla, was established between 1650 and 1653 and was affiliated to the Parish of Nagoa. This first church of Parra was burnt down by the Marathas in 1683, and was rebuilt in 1688.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Tonferns Tribune















 http://tonferns.blogspot.com/2023/04/blog-post_16.html

The Global Goan Vol4 Issue03 Apr-May23

 The Global Goan Issue of Apr/May 23 is out. To read please click on the link below:

https://online.fliphtml5.com/kdhdu/lhnw/?fbclid=IwAR3CyIwgr7K4JDHvYqu6elDXbXlzeqOgnQzWBYHBk8Ku3Zt2VRFVl7IrvJg#p=1

To read my article which appears on Page 96 of this issue please click on the link above. The Goan magazine is for all folks, young and old, Goan or not! Makes for an enjoyable read with a variety of articles to suit all ages


Sunday, April 16, 2023

Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi - Monte de Guirim, Goa.












CHAPEL OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI - Monte de Guirim.

Photo/Watercolour Rendering & Article by Tony Fernandes 

Ex-student Batch of 1964.

Plateau of peace and tranquility - where stands the Chapel of St.Francis of Assisi, patron saint of St. Anthony’s High School - famously known as Monte de Guirim and an ideal quiet place for prayer, solace, comfort and inspiration and daily Holy Mass and retreats for students and people of the villages around.

In front of this beautiful chapel stands the white Cross with its unique balustrade facing the vast fields down below and in the distance with a panoramic view of the fields and villages towards the west, and as far as one’s eyes can see, stretching from Saligao, Calangute, Baga, Arpora, Nagoa, Parra and Arjuna, complemented by a beautiful backdrop of the Arabian Sea and hills beyond. Once upon a time on the right side of this cross, stood for generations a gigantic nunerca tree. This tree was a legend in its lifetime. It was like a mother that sheltered and protected her children under her huge benevolent arms from the hot sun and rain.  For the physical training exercise, boys lined up for the “drill” under this legendary tree. In the afternoon some students played games while others read books, sang and played guitar. Mission Sunday event was held on this mini plateau. The branch roots of this giant tree were very cleverly nurtured back into the earth with soil around them in tin pipes, thereby providing support for itself. Though botanists tried to save it, the old tree sadly did not survive. But a new one that was immediately planted in its place soon grew to its full size and provided a nostalgic solace and reminiscence to the visiting scholars of the old days.


Saturday, April 15, 2023

Friday, April 07, 2023

Paschal Moon


April 2023's full moon is known as the Pink Moon and the Paschal Moon.The paschal full moon is the ecclesiastical full moon of the northern spring and is used in the determination of the date of Easter. The name "paschal" is derived from "Pascha", a transliteration of the Aramaic word meaning Passover. It appears yellow because as the Moon's light travels a longer distance through the atmosphere, more of the shorter, bluer wavelengths of light are scattered away, leaving more of the longer, redder wavelengths. Photographs by Tony Fernandes.

Good Friday Cross Sign in the Sky