The celebrations in Panjim in Goa is grand on the Easter day, hundreds of devout Goan Catholics gather in the Panjim Church of Mary Immaculate Conception to listen to mass and participate in the Way of the Cross. During the afternoon sermon, the priests narrate the sufferings that Jesus Christ took upon himself for the sake of humanity.
The mass is in Konkani, Goa s state language. It attracts a crowd too large for the church itself, and people stand in the doorways and in the premises, dressed in formal clothes with somber countenance.
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After the mass, the crucifix, which until this time has been kept from view, is now uncovered before the crowd for veneration. A very somber ceremony, "the Way of the Cross” is a re-enactment of the path Jesus took on Mount Calvary before the crucifixion.
In Panjim, a huge crowd is gathered when the image of Jesus carrying large wooden cross is taken from the church, down the steps, and through the streets of the town. The clergymen carries it, while the crowd follows in two parallel lines in front of and in back of the statue, some weeping and all with very solemn faces.
Those not participating in the actual procession look on from the roadsides, both Hindus and Christians alike. Somber music played by a band accompanies the procession, which slowly winds its way through the main streets in Panjim before returning to the church. The mass and procession occur in every church in Goa, but the one in Panjim attracts the large number of people.
In Panjim, a huge crowd is gathered when the image of Jesus carrying large wooden cross is taken from the church, down the steps, and through the streets of the town. The clergymen carries it, while the crowd follows in two parallel lines in front of and in back of the statue, some weeping and all with very solemn faces.
Those not participating in the actual procession look on from the roadsides, both Hindus and Christians alike. Somber music played by a band accompanies the procession, which slowly winds its way through the main streets in Panjim before returning to the church. The mass and procession occur in every church in Goa, but the one in Panjim attracts the large number of people.