2402:3A80:18C0:D84A:12D4:7833:58F9:9B25 at 13:52, 2 June 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}}
The '''Culture of [[Goan Catholics]]''' is a blend of [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] and [[Konkani people|Konkani]] cultures. Due to Portuguese rule lasting over 450 years, Goan Catholics adopted Portuguese culture but retained their Hindu caste system and few other customs and traditions. Contemporary Goan Catholic culture can be best described as an increasingly anglicised Luso-Konkani culture.

==Cuisine==
[[File:Goan Xit kodi.jpg|thumb|right|Fish curry and rice (''Xit kodi'' in [[Konkani language|Konkani]]), the [[staple food]] of the Goan Catholics.]]

Goan curries use a lot of [[spice]]s and [[vinegar]]. Fish curry and rice (''Xit kodi'' in [[Konkani language|Konkani]]) forms the [[staple food]] of the community. [[Goan Catholic cuisine]] has distinct Portuguese influence as can be seen in [[Sorpotel]], a [[pork]] dish often served with ''[[Sanna (rice cakes)|Sanna]]s'' ([[idli]] fluffed with [[Hot toddy|toddy]] or yeast) as the centerpiece at wedding dinners and [[Christmas dinner]], while ''Pão com [[Chorizo#Goan chouri.C3.A7o|Chouriço]]'' (bread with Goan pork [[sausage]]), ''Chouriço Pulão'' (Goan pork sausage [[pilaf]]), [[Vindalho]], ''Aad Maas'' ([[pork ribs]]), ''Assado de Leitão'' or ''Assado de Porco'' (roasted pork) and ''Carne Assada'' (roasted [[beef]]) are also popular. Goan Catholics mix pork blood and other organs in most of their pork delicacies as can be seen from ''[[Cabidela]]''. [[Xacuti]] (pronounced {{IPA-kok|shakuti|}}) is dish originally from Goa prepared with either [[Lamb and mutton|mutton]], beef, pork or [[chicken]].<ref name="GF">{{cite news
|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/10/25/stories/2004102500930300.htm
|title=Goa Delights
|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]
|accessdate=2008-10-26
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009055032/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/10/25/stories/2004102500930300.htm
|archive-date=9 October 2007
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> ''Canja de galinha'' and ''[[Cafreal|Frango à cafreal]]'' are well-known chicken dishes. Beef [[croquettes]], beef potato chops and prawn [[rissoles]] are common snacks. Sliced roast beef and sliced beef tongue are popular entrees at Goan celebrations.

The traditional ''Nalachi kodi'', (literally coconut curry) is a curry made with coconut juice. The Goan fish curries, prawn curry and fried fish preparations are renowned in the whole of coastal India. ''Solantulem kodi'', a spicy coconut and [[kokum]] curry is also popular. ''Ambot-tik'' (a sour curry dish) and the ''Jeerem-Meerem'' (a spicy curry, which uses jeera and other spices) are prepared with either fish or meat. ''[[Samosa#Variants|Chamuças]]'' is a Goan derivative of [[samosa]], which is usually filled with minced beef or pork is a well-known snack.<ref name="Sen">{{harvnb|Sen|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YIyV_5wrplMC&printsec=frontcover#PPA105,M1 105]}}</ref> The traditional ''Molho de Peixe'' (Fish pickle) and ''Balchão'' (prawn pickle), originally from [[Macau]], are famous Goan fish preserves.

Vegetable-based dishes like ''[[Khatkhate]]'' (a vegetable stew), ''Tondak'' (beans combined with cashew nuts) and ''[[Caldo verde]]'' (a soup) are also popular. Sweets like ''[[Bebinca]]'', ''[[Dodol]]'', ''Tizann'', ''[[Godshem]]'', ''[[Patoleo]]'', ''[[Cocada]]'', ''[[Goiabada]]'', ''Maçapão'' (cashew nut [[marzipan]]), ''[[Arroz doce]]'', ''[[Fios de ovos]]'', etc. are well-loved by Goan Catholics. ''Consoada'' is a term used to describe a set of sweets which are distributed to family, friends and neighbors by members of the Goan Catholic community during Christmas.

==Names and surnames==
Portuguese first names having variants in both Konkani and English, like Pedro ([[Peter (first name)|Peter]]) and Maria ([[Mary (given name)|Mary]]), are common among Goan Catholics. Other European names, such as Kevin and Shelley, are popular and so are [[Hindu]] names like Rahul and Anita.

Portuguese surnames, like [[Rodrigues]] and [[Surname|Carvalho]], are used by Goan Catholics due to the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] policy of changing the surnames of converts at the time of their baptism. Some Goan Catholics still have records of their original [[Goud Saraswat Brahmins|Goud Saraswat Brahmin]] surnames such as [[Prabhu]], [[Kamat]], [[Pai (surname)|Pai]], and [[Shenoy]].<ref name="ET">{{cite web
|url=http://www.goablog.org/posts/ethnicity-and-surnames-of-the-people-of-goa/
|title=Ethnicity and surnames of the people of Goa
|accessdate=2008-09-11}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Goan Catholic variant
!English variant
!Meaning
!Sex
|-
|''Anton''
|[[Anthony (given name)|Anthony]]
|Flower
|Male
|-
|''Lorso''
|[[Lawrence (given name)|Lawrence]]
|Someone from [[Laurentum]]
|Male
|-
|''Kenneth''
|[[Kenneth]]
|Born of fire
|Male
|-
|''Pedru''
|[[Peter (first name)|Peter]]
|Stone
|Male
|-
|''Nikel''
|[[Nicholas]]
|Victory of the people
|Male
|-
|''Šilest''
|[[Sylvester]]
|Wooded
|Male
|-
|''Zuãuñ''
|[[John (first name)|John]]
|God is gracious
|Male
|-
|''Zoze''
|[[Joseph (name)|Joseph]]
|The Lord will add
|Male
|-
|Source: ''English-konkani Dictionary''<ref>{{harvnb|Maffei|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YheuhLoHKsUC&pg=PA541&vq=&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U2D7Y_ZRuIgrbIs95u-qfFQMJcPrA 541]}}</ref>
|
|
|}

==Language and literature==
Goan Catholics have strong feelings towards the [[Konkani language]], which is often venerated in literature, and in particular to [[Romi Konkani]]. It has historically been, and to a large extent still is, central to the Goan Catholic identity. They speak Konkani, which is an [[Indo-Aryan language]], belonging to the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] family of languages, spoken predominantly on the west coast of India.

The Konkani spoken by Goan Catholics has a larger infusion of words of [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] origin as compared to the Konkani spoken by other communities. The number of Goan Catholics that can speak Portuguese is recovering due to Portuguese language being an optional language in Goan schools. An increasing numbers of Goan Catholics also speak English as their first language due to its replacement of Portuguese as an official language.

==Traditions and festivals==
Some Goan Catholics have retained certain Hindu customs regarding marriage.
* The ''soirik'' or the ([[betrothal]])<ref>{{harvnb|Gomes|1987|p=126}}</ref> and ''mudi'' ([[engagement]]) ceremony.<ref>{{harvnb|Gomes|1987|p=408}}</ref> Hindu traditions that still persist include adorning the bride with the ''saddo ''(red dress or [[sari]]), which is to be worn on the first day after the marriage, it is also the name of the ceremony of cutting and sewing the dress<ref>{{harvnb|Gomes|1987|p=137}}</ref>
* The ''chuddo'' (ceremony during which [[bangle]]s are worn by the bride),<ref>{{harvnb|da Silva Gracias|1996|pp=56–62}}</ref><ref name="Sak">{{harvnb|Sakshena|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7kUE7TV3ZWEC&pg=PA3 9]}}</ref>
* The ''ros'' ([[anointing]]) ceremony, conducted one or two days before the wedding, involves the parents, relatives and friends blessings on the bride and groom, who are anointed with coconut milk.<ref>{{harvnb|da Silva Gracias|1996|p=62}}</ref>
*{{transl|kok|Bhuim jevonn}} (ritual meal in honour of the ancestors) or {{transl|kok|Bikariam che jevonn}} (meal for the poor/beggars),<ref>{{harvnb|da Souza|2007|p=57}}</ref>
* ''Oupsoon'' (giving away the bride formally by the father or the guardian of the bride),
* ''Appoune'' (invitation to the bride's house).
These ceremonies are followed by the traditional [[Catholic]] wedding mass and finally the Wedding Reception. The women at a typical Goan Catholic wedding generally wear gowns/dresses while the men (including the bridegroom) are attired in western-style suits. The bride always wears a western-style virgin-white wedding gown. Contemporary Goan Catholics typically have a [[White wedding]]. The bridal entourage usually consists of the [[Maid of Honour]], [[Bridesmaids]], [[Best man]] and [[Groomsmen]]. Ballroom dancing and live western-style band music are an integral part of a Goan Catholic wedding reception.

In addition to common Christian festivals like Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, the community celebrates many other festivals of religious and historical significance. The Feast of Saint [[Francis Xavier]] on 3 December is the major religious feast of all Goan Catholics.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/12/04/stories/2004120401182000.htm
|title = Feast of St. Francis Xavier
|date = 2004-12-04
|accessdate = 2008-12-02
|newspaper = [[The Hindu]]
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090327231742/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/12/04/stories/2004120401182000.htm
|archive-date = 27 March 2009
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> ''Konsachem fest'' (harvest festival) involves blessing of new harvests.<ref>{{cite press release
|url=http://www.goablog.org/posts/goans-celebrate-harvest-festival-of-konsachem/
|title=Goans celebrate harvest festival of Konsachem
|publisher=DailyIndia
|accessdate=2008-11-14}}</ref> The ''Zagor'' (nocturnal vigil in [[Konkani language|Konkani]]), mainly celebrated in [[Siolim]], in [[Bardez]] taluka of [[Goa]] is a festival highlighted by dance, drama and music.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://infochangeindia.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=5527
|title=Zagor, the Goan festival of communal amity, under threat
|author=Shiv Kumar
|date=April 2006
|accessdate=2008-12-09
|publisher=InfoChange News & Features
}}</ref>

''Moti Fest'' is another major festival, mainly celebrated in [[Chinchinim]], Goa on 8 September, which celebrates the [[Nativity of Mary|Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary]].<ref>{{cite press release
|url=http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=143490
|title=Moti Fest, pork sausages and Church of Qatar
|author=Jenny Coutinho
|publisher=Merinews
|date=2008-10-09
|accessdate=2008-09-14
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208205433/http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=143490
|archive-date=8 December 2012
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> Other important religious feasts include Mãe de Deus Church at [[Saligao]], Feast of [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion of Christ]] at Siridão, Feast of Holy Cross at [[Aldona]], Feast of the [[Holy Spirit]] Church at [[Margão]], Procession of Saints at [[Goa Velha]], ''São João'' (Feast of [[John the Baptist|St.John the Baptist]]), Feast of [[Saint Peter|St. Peter]], Bonderam at [[Divar]] and ''Sangodd'' ([[Feast of Saints Peter and Paul]]) at Cumbharjua.

Contrary to popular belief, [[Carnival#India|Goa Carnival]] is a commercial festival in Goa. Its current form (King Momo, floats, etc.) was created only in 1965 to attract tourists.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/The-dawn-of-Viva-Carnaval-in-Goa/143320.html
|title=The dawn of Viva Carnaval in Goa
|date=1 March 2019
|accessdate=2 June 2021
|newspaper=[[O Heraldo]]
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404155031/https://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/The-dawn-of-Viva-Carnaval-in-Goa/143320.html
|archive-date=4 April 2019
}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Goan Catholics]]
*[[Goa]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book
|last=Sakshena
|first=R.N.
|title= Goa: In the Main Stream
|year=1997
|isbn=9788170170051
|url=https://books.google.com/?id=7kUE7TV3ZWEC&pg=PA3&dq=%22Saksena%22#PPA9,M1
|accessdate=2008-09-20
}} {{sic}}
*{{cite book
|last=Paul Harding and
|first=Bryn Thomas
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmO6M63ISKYC
|title=Goa
|year=2003
|isbn=9781740591393
|accessdate=2008-09-17
}}
*{{cite book
|last=Maffei
|first=Angelus Francis Xavier
|publisher=Asian Educational Services
|year=2001
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YheuhLoHKsUC&printsec=frontcover
|title=English-konkani Dictionary
|isbn=81-206-0626-4
|accessdate=2008-08-24
}}
*{{cite book
|last=Sen
|first=Colleen Taylor
|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YIyV_5wrplMC&printsec=frontcover
|title=Food Culture in India
|year=2004
|isbn=0-313-32487-5
|accessdate=2008-08-29
}}
*{{cite book
|last=Gomes
|first=Olivinho
|title= Village Goa: A Study of Goan Social Structure and Change
|year=1987
|publisher=S. Chand
}}
*{{cite book
|last=Saradesāya
|first=Manohararāya
|publisher=Sahitya Akademi
|url=https://books.google.com/?id=1YILeUD_oZUC&dq=A+History+of+Konkani+Literature:+From+1500+to+1992&printsec=frontcover
|title=A History of Konkani Literature: From 1500 to 1992
|year=2000
|isbn=81-7201-664-6
}}
{{refend}}

[[Category:Culture of Goa]]
[[Category:Goan Catholics| ]]

Culture of Goan Catholics - Revision history

2402:3A80:18C0:D84A:12D4:7833:58F9:9B25 at 13:52, 2 June 2021