SEASONS GREETINGS

On behalf of the Goan Association UK, the President Flavio Gracias sends his best wishes for a Happy Christmas followed by a peaceful 2000 to all other Goan Organisations around the world. (76 Middleton Avenue, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 8BS).

Cortalim Union London(UK) wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Please tell a friend and visit our website at: http://home.earthlink.net/~nsequeira

NEWS ROUNDUP

BLESSED VAZ IS NEW PATRON FOR GOA AND DAMAN DIOCESE
Posted on GoaNet By: Frederick Noronha <fred@goa1.dot.net.in>

PANAJI: SAR News
The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman is to have a new patron in January 2000. Archbishop Raul Gonsalves will proclaim Blessed Joseph Vaz as the Patron of the Cathedral, on January 16, the feast day of Bl. Vaz. Blessed Joseph Vaz is a Goan missionary whose zeal for souls took him from Goa to Karnataka (then Kannara) and Sri Lanka. Bl. Vaz, who started the order of the Oratorians of St. Philip of Neri, arrived in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, in 1687 disguised as a labourer. At that time, the island was under the Dutch who suppressed Catholicism and professed the teachings of the Dutch Reformed Church. For a decade, Bl. Vaz was the only Catholic priest in Sri Lanka.
The Pope beatified Joseph Vaz in January 1995 during his visit to Sri Lanka. Bl. Joseph Vaz being the first Goan to be beatified, the Archdiocese made the request to the Holy See to declare him the patron of the Archdiocese. The request was granted just recently. The present patroness of the Cathedral is St. Catherine.

Excerpts posting from GoaNet entitled Lascivious Goa?
By Cleona Lira - at Rediff.com,

There are a few times when I see red and want to scream "bloody murder"at the top of my lungs... and then pretend I'm the latest killer on the block. And, as the hormones that trigger aggression in me threaten alarmingly, I wish I could do away with a few scenes in the movies that tend to depict Goans in a negative light.

Like Janam Samjha Karo for example, which I went to see with my best friend on what promised to be a peaceful evening. The villain (Sadashiv Amrapurkar in this case), who is obviously not the best character in the movie, wears this big cross and goes about running my clan down by speaking bad Hindi and, of course, swigging from the bottle of hard liquor which is always near at hand.
The person who made the film, it seems, does not know that only the Pope and members of the religious clergy are privileged to wear huge crosses. Besides, the symbol of a religion is supposed to be a gentle reminder of the values that one should imbibe.

I would also like to believe that most Goans are not members of Alcoholic Anonymous for reasons beyond their control. So why misrepresent a state to portray a character who is both distasteful and repugnant?

....People like to believe that Goa is a Mecca for hedonists (and it may well be for some tourists). However, that wide definition, when extended to reflect even simple villagers who are far removed from the tourist scene, is certainly a misrepresentation.

Goa, as an ideal tourist destination, has much more to offer than just rave parties and idyllic beaches for sunbathing. My memories of Goa are of cycling down to the beach for an early morning jog with my dog, and watching a beautiful sunrise. Of long summer nights spent celebrating a village feast, of dancing all night long to a live band with a big bunch of friends. Of the entertaining spats that fishermen often had in the bus, as I returned home from college.

DEATHS

+ ROBERT D'SOUZA on 10 December 1999. Robert was very involved with the Asian Chaplaincy and the Merton Goans Senior Citizens Club. Husband of the late Stella and father of Cynthia and Lorraine. Brother of Arnold, Murian, Edna and Sr Muriel. Funeral at 1:00 pm on Tuesday 21 December 1999 at The Asian Chaplaincy St. Augustine's Church,55 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith, London W6 8AU

+ ANNE MONTEIRO (Nee Vaz) passed away on Tuesday 7th December 1999 Wife to Anthony Monteiro (known as Tony),Daughter of Peter and Maria Vaz Sister to Francis Vaz & Theresa Fernandes Previously of Nairobi, Kenya.
Funeral 1:00pm on Friday 17th December 1999 at St Anthony's R.C. Church, 5 Garratt Road, Edgware, Middx.

Funeral Notice
+ PETER FERNANDES - at 10 am on Monday 20 December 1999 at St Martin and Mark Church, Bath Road, Hounslow.

FORTHCOMING

19 Dec. 13:00- South East- Goans. Children's Christmas Party. Welling. Lloyd D'Souza 0181-301 5242

26 Dec. G.O.A. Christmas Ball. Wandsworth Civic Centre. Norma 0181-771 4457 or Bernie 0181-723 1322

MILLENNIUM EVENTS IN THE UK

31 Dec. 19:00-0200 Goan Community Association (North London) Present Millennium Dance 1999 at St Thomas More School Hall Glendale Avenue Wood Green N22. Dress your favourite outfit of the century (NO JEANS OR TRAINERS). Ticket inc.Buffet Meal. Contact: "Max Fernandes" <max.fernandes@cableinet.co.uk> or Candy Fernandes 0181-245 4513

31 Dec. 18:30 - South East Goans Millennium Ball - Woolwich. Sharon D'Souza 0181-301 5242.

31 Dec. 18:30 - 04:00. Dark Star Millennium Ball. Wembley Derrick Pereira 0181-952 8899

31 Dec. Saligao Gala Millennium Ball. Tolworth Recreation Centre. Zemira Fernandes 01895-259947

31 Dec. 19:00 - 03:00 West London Goans. Millennium Ball. Brentford. Marc Fernandes 01932-781221

1 Jan. Simba Football Club. New Year's Day Ball. White Hart Lane School, N22 - formal dress. Cos Fernandes 0181 884 3124.

8 Jan G.O.A. Millennium Ball. Wandsworth Civic Centre. Norma 0181-771 4457 or Bernie 0181-723 1322

5 Mar. 12:00- Mungul Union feast. White Hart Lane School, N22. Rosy D'Silva 0181 352 9450.

28 May. 12:00 - 20:00 Cortalim Union Feast. White Hart Lane School Hall, White Hart Lane, London N22

4 June. Wandsworth Town Hall Ex Students from Catholic Parochial and St Teresa's Boys and Girls School, Nairobi. Millennium Reunion. Norma Menezes 0208-771 4457 Menezrahim@aol.com or Tonyjo Fernandes 01895 259947.

16 June. Siolim Union. 20th anniversary. Derrick Fernandes 0181-395-1084

For Christmas & Millennium Events in Goa Please see
http://www.goacom.com/news/news99/dec/msg00031.html

Christmas in Goa at Cidade de Goa <hotelcdg@goa1.dot.net.in>
From the 16th of December to the 22nd of December, Seafood Festival.

On Christmas day - the 25th of December, an evening called "Pure Christmas", which includes a gala dinner, live band with a spot singer, christmas carols and a jolly ole Santa Claus.

Not Forgetting how special Christmas can be when celebrated on a beach, Cidade have planned an event called "Glowing embers". This event includes a beach barbecue done up in a special Christmas style. The evening includes a live band with a great singer to set the mood for the evening and an exciting, charismatic limbo dancer to dazzle all the guests.

"Oceans of Fantasy" - The event speaks for itself. Guests experience the last sunset of the millennium with the waves lapping at their feet, serenaders enchanting them with their music and a glass of champagne in their hand. Later the mood shifts to our lawns, where the partying ends only with breakfast on the 1st of January.

For Millennium events in Canada, U.S.A., Karachi and elsewhere see Goanet-Canada Newsletter. Issue 8. December 10,1999 http://www.goacom.com/news/news99/dec/msg00004.html

INFORMATION WANTED

Posted on GoaNet By Frederick Noronha <fred@goa1.dot.net.in>
Wanted info on Azulejos in Goa

Hi Fredrick - My name is Hil Albuquerque. I recently came across your website while I was looking at the Goa-world site and other websites that relate to Goa. I was impressed with all your photographs and was pleasantly supprised to find a photo of Azulejos - the blue and white Portuguese decorative tiles.
For quite a while I have been looking for all sorts of information on these tiles (literature and photos) but unfortunately I wasn't able to gather much. I am interested in the Portuguese influence on Goa and I plan to write a paper for one of my classes in school on these tiles and their impact on Goan Art (especially graphic design material).

Hil Albuquerque Graphic Design University of Minnesota - Duluth e-mail halbuque@d.umn.edu

Fred Writes..............
If anyone could help Hil, please do so directly. My knowledge on this front is rather limited. There is some information floating around, but I've not applied my mind to it. The photo incidentally is from the ground floor of the Institute Menezes Braganza (formerly Instituto Vasco da Gama).