Procissões da Santa Paixão em Pangim
Na Igreja Matriz da Imaculada Conceição, em Pangim, o sexto domingo da Quaresma começa com um tom festivo. É o Domingo de Ramos, que comemora a entrada triunfal de Jesus em Jerusalém.
Após as missas da manhã, porém, há uma visível mudança no clima, especialmente com a revelação do quadro no altar-mor: uma monumental estátua de Cristo a suportar a Cruz. Daí a designação alternativa do dia, ou da sua segunda metade: Domingo da Paixão.
Domingo da Paixão
Na tarde do Domingo da Paixão vai uma procissão solene que começa e termina na icónica igreja. Este é o ponto alto dos Santos Passos, realizados nos primeiros cinco domingos da Quaresma, destacando alguns dos momentos mais intensos da Paixão de Cristo que conduzem ao Calvário: a agonia no Jardim do Getsémani, a prisão de Jesus, a flagelação em torno da coluna, a coroação de espinhos e a condenação por Pôncio Pilatos.1 Nem sempre as igrejas em Goa têm o mesmo arranjo.2
O Domingo da Paixão marca o início da Semana Santa. A cor predominante é o roxo; os altares ficam vazios e sem decorações florais. Após a missa da tarde, uma procissão conhecida como Cruz às costas — com o referido cenário de Jesus carregando a Cruz — percorre primeiro estes espaços públicos da capital: o largo da igreja; um trecho da Rua 18 de Junho e da Pissurlencar, e o Azad Maidan (antigo Largo Afonso de Albuquerque).
Os confrades vestidos de opa e murça (capa vermelha e branca) carregam a estátua em conjunto, e tem-se a impressão de que ela está a flutuar por conta própria (Figura 1). No passado, uma banda de metais acompanhava a procissão, mas actualmente um coro canta de um patamar intermediário da escadaria em ziguezague da igreja. Ouvem-se cânticos e orações ao longo do percurso por meio de altifalantes. Os fiéis passam em fila, recitando os cinco Mistérios Dolorosos do Rosário até ao final da procissão.
Figura 1. Cruz às costas (Foto: Óscar de Noronha)
Mais de dez descansos (paragens) marcam o circuito. Nesses pontos, os fiéis acorrem para beijar a estátua. Uma pausa importante ocorre na Capela da Conceição. Construída em 1823, era uma capela privada anexa ao palacete de Dom Lourenço de Noronha, um nobre português. A capela foi legada às Confrarias da Igreja de Pangim e está em reparação desde 2019.
A procissão prossegue então pelas ruas Mahatma Gandhi e Dr. Domingos Roque de Sousa, passando pelo Jardim Garcia de Orta, até ao largo da igreja. Ao pé da escadaria, Jesus encontra sua Mãe, Maria (Figura 2). Entristecida pelo seu Divino Filho ter sido tão injustamente acusado e obrigado a carregar a cruz até à morte, ela acompanha-o nos seus últimos passos, como fez no Gólgota há dois mil anos.
Figura 2. Jesus encontra sua Mãe Maria (Foto: Óscar de Noronha)
Logo depois, as duas estátuas param no patamar intermediário, em frente a uma grande cruz incrustada na parede. No nível superior, a partir de um varandim a modo de púlpito, uma menina desenrola um Véu de Verónica enquanto canta a narrativa tradicional sobre o encontro da lendária mulher com Jesus. Conforme registado na quarta estação da Via Crucis, Verónica, comovida ao ver Jesus a carregar a Cruz, enxugou a sua testa com o lenço, encontrando uma impressão duradoura do seu rosto sagrado no pano.
Assim termina o Domingo da Paixão e, na tarde da Quinta-feira Santa, começam os preparativos para o Tríduo Sagrado. A missa vespertina, com o tradicional lava-pés, celebra a instituição da Eucaristia e do sacerdócio e a proclamação do mandamento do amor. Não há procissão pública.
Sexta-feira Santa
A estrutura da procissão da Sexta-feira Santa assemelha-se à do Domingo da Paixão, ressalvadas as devidas diferenças.
O comovente cenário da Crucifixão começa no altar-mor às 3,00 h da tarde. Nessa hora, curiosamente, o céu costuma estar nublado e o clima sombrio. A liturgia da Palavra e a Eucaristia continuam até cerca das 17,30 h. A seguir, a procissão parte com a figura recostada do Senhor Morto, maior que o tamanho natural, colocada num andor (Figura 3) e acompanhada pela imagem de Nossa Senhora.
Figura 3. Procissão do Senhor Morto (Foto: Óscar de Noronha)
Desta feita, os fiéis vestem trajes fúnebres, os quais antigamente eram trajes formais. Em vez do sino Sanctus, ouve-se a matraca ou chocalho de madeira, em cada paragem da procissão.
Uma diferença importante entre a procissão do Domingo da Paixão e a da Sexta-Feira Santa está no desfecho deste evento barroco: um padre profere o Sermão da Soledade de Maria a partir do mesmo varandim que funciona como púlpito. O pregador exalta as virtudes de Maria e destaca as suas disposições interiores. Dantes, a retórica desempenhava um papel crucial nessas ocasiões, ajudando a envolver totalmente a congregação. Hoje em dia, observa-se um número limitado de fiéis ouvintes, que se distraem facilmente, sobretudo com o ruído dos veículos que, além disso, retira a solenidade do ambiente.
Espectáculo comovente
Uma semelhança marcante entre as procissões é que ambas são assistidas com admiração por pessoas de outras religiões, incluindo polícias que ficam em posição de sentido e saúdam, principalmente, o Senhor Morto.
Em ambas as ocasiões, as residências ao longo do percurso enfeitam-se com luzes decorativas, velas ou lamparinas, em homenagem a Nosso Senhor. O mesmo sucede com alguns estabelecimentos não-cristãos que, sendo dia de serviço, permanecem abertos. O caso dos Caculó e dos Neurencar, duas famílias hindus na Rua Pissurlencar, é particularmente interessante; eles tradicionalmente oferecem guirlandas de xênvtim (crisântemo) ou de abolim (crossandra).
Em ambos os dias, dependendo do número de participantes, a marcha piedosa, com um quilómetro de extensão, e as cerimónias relacionadas duram entre 75 e 90 minutos. As estátuas regressam à igreja para os rituais finais e veneração. Às 8 horas da noite, encerram-se os trabalhos!
Esses dois eventos processionais deixaram uma marca duradoura na minha mente. Foi assim quando a minha vida começou; assim é agora que sou um homem. E assim será quando eu envelhecer — pois essa tradição antiga é, sem dúvida, um dos espectáculos mais comoventes do calendário religioso e cultural da minha cidade, Pangim.
Publicado na Revista da Casa de Goa, Serie II, No. 39, marco-abril de 2026, pp 43-47
Notas: Veja-se também
https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2019/03/17/santos-passos-in-panjim/
https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2021/03/21/lenten-traditions-in-goa/
https://studio.youtube.com/video/XaVO6nY2ASQ/edit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXlnAoKU42M&t=17s
Holy Passion Processions in Panjim
At Panjim’s Church of the Immaculate Conception (Igreja Matriz or main parish church), the sixth Sunday of Lent begins on a festive note. This is Palm Sunday, which commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
However, after the morning Masses, there is a visible change in the mood, especially with the unveiling of the tableau in the chancel: a huge statue of Christ carrying the Cross. Hence, the alternative designation of the day, or of its second half: Passion Sunday.
Passion Sunday
The Passion Sunday evening features a solemn procession that begins and ends at the iconic church. This is the highpoint of the Santos Passos (‘Holy Steps’) held on the first five Sundays of Lent, highlighting some of the most intense moments of Christ’s Passion leading to Calvary: Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Arrest of Jesus, the Flagellation at the Pillar, the Crowning with Thorns, and the Condemnation by Pontius Pilate (See my blogpost https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2019/03/17/santos-passos-in-panjim/ ). Not all churches in Goa necessarily have the same set-up (See https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2021/03/21/lenten-traditions-in-goa/ ).
Passion Sunday signals the beginning of Holy Week. The predominant colour is purple; the altars are bare, and flower arrangements absent. After the evening Mass, a procession called Cruz às Costas—the said tableau of Jesus carrying the Cross—first wends its way through these public spaces of the capital: the Church square; a section of 18 June and Pissurlencar Streets, and Azad Maidan (formerly called Afonso de Albuquerque Square).
Confrades (Church confraternity members) wearing opa e murça (red and white cape) carry the statue concertedly, and one gets the impression that it is floating on its own power (Figure 1). In the past, a brass band would follow, but nowadays, a choir sings from an intermediate landing of the church’s zigzag stairway. Singing and prayers are heard throughout the route via funnel loudspeakers. The faithful file past, reciting the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary until the end of the procession.
Over ten descansos (halts) mark the circuit. At those points the faithful flock to kiss the statue. There is a major halt at the Capela da Conceição (Chapel of the Immaculate Conception). Built in 1823, it was once a private chapel attached to the mansion of Dom Lourenço de Noronha, a Portuguese nobleman. The chapel was bequeathed to the Confrarias (Confraternities) of Panjim Church and has been under repair since 2019.
The cavalcade then proceeds via Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Domingos Roque de Sousa Streets, past the Garcia de Orta Garden, up to the church square. At the foot of the stairway, Jesus meets His Mother, Mary. Sorrowing over her Divine Son so unjustly accused and made to carry the Cross to His death, she accompanies him on his last legs, as she did at Golgotha two thousand years ago.
Soon thereafter, the two statues halt on the intermediate landing in front of a large wall cross. A level higher, from a narrow, pulpit-like balcony, a little girl unrolls a Veil of Veronica while she sings the traditional narrative about the legendary woman’s meeting with Jesus. As recorded in the fourth station of the Via Crucis, Veronica, moved by the sight of Jesus carrying the Cross, wiped his brow with her handkerchief only to find a lasting imprint of His holy face on the cloth.
Thus ends Passion Sunday, and on the evening of Maundy Thursday preparations get underway for the Holy Triduum. The evening Mass, with the traditional washing of the feet, marks the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood and the proclamation of the commandment of love. No public procession is held.
Good Friday
On Good Friday, the processional arrangement is similar that of Passion Sunday, except for a few necessary differences.
The poignant Crucifixion tableau opens in the chancel at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Interestingly, the sky is usually cloudy and the mood is sombre by then. The liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist continue until about half past five. Then, a procession of a recumbent larger-than-life-size statue of Senhor Morto (The Departed Lord) placed on an andor (black canopied wooden platform) starts off, with the statue of Our Lady in trail.
On this day, the faithful are in funereal attire, which once was de rigueur. Instead of the Sanctus bell, one hears the matraca or wooden rattle, at every halt in the procession.
A major difference between the Passion Sunday and the Good Friday procession lies at the end of this baroque event, when a priest delivers a Sermão da Soledade de Maria (Sermon on the Solitude of Mary) from the same pulpit-like balcony. The preacher extols Mary’s virtues and highlights her interior disposition. Previously, rhetoric played a crucial role on such occasions, helping to fully engage the congregation. Nowadays, one finds a limited number of faithful, who are easily distracted, not least by traffic noise that further detracts from the solemn ambience.
Moving spectacle
A striking similarity between the processions is that both are watched in awe by people of other religions, including policemen who stand at attention and especially salute the Departed Lord.
On both occasions, residences along the route set up decorative lights, candles, or oil lamps in homage to Our Lord. Some non-Christian establishments that are open, as it is a working day, do likewise. The case of the Caculos and the Neurencars, two Hindu homes on Pissurlencar Street, is particularly interesting; they traditionally offer xênvtim (chrysanthemum) or abolim (crossandra) garlands.
On both days, depending on the number of attendees, the pious, kilometre-long march and related ceremonies take between 75 and 90 minutes. The statues return to the church for the concluding rites and veneration. By 8 o’clock, they call it a night!
These two processional events have left a lasting imprint on my mind. So was it when my life began; so is it now that I am a man. And so be it when I grow old—for this ancient tradition is undoubtedly one of the most moving spectacles in the religious and cultural calendar of my city, Panjim.
Also published in Revista da Casa de Goa, Series II, No. 39, March-April 2026, pp 43-47;
Zest magazine, The Navhind Times, Panjim, 27 March 2026, p. 1
Requests:
1- In the comments section below, do share snippets of similar traditions in your village or city, and document them whenever possible.
2 - Do watch my video titled "Passion Sunday Procession in Panjim", on http://www.youtube.com/@oscardenoronha
Lenten Traditions in Goa
ON: What do you have to say about Goa's rich tradition of Lenten music?
JLP: Well, the Motetes (Motets) are Goa’s “classical” Lenten music. They began appearing by the middle of the 19th century. They were sung on the occasion of the Santos Passos (Holy Steps of the Cross) and also during the Sacred Triduum, that is, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. This is Goan Lenten music par excellence. Enter Vatican II in the 1960s and as a result we now have many Lenten hymns – liturgical songs to be sung in church – all composed in the Konkani language, beginning from the year 1965.
ON: What might the earlier Lenten music have been, before the Motets came about in the middle of the 19th century?
JLP: I have no idea. They must have been only hymns in Latin because the liturgy was in Latin. The Parish Schools, for example, began in Goa way back in the 16th century. No Konkani music or hymns were taught there. It was only Latin. The students of our parish schools learnt even choral songs. They could sing in polyphony and they sang serious classical music, like Palestrina and later Perosi and others.
ON: The church Mestres (music teachers) must have also contributed a lot…
JLP: Yes, the Mestres of our Churches, who were also music teachers in our parish schools, used to compose a lot of music in Latin, especially Masses. I am from Benaulim and I met one or two Mestres in my childhood – one was Sabino Rebello and the other was some Roque whose surname I forget, who was the Mestre of St John the Baptist Church, Benaulim.
ON: Are there any studies on the Motets and the religious music of Goa?
JLP: Yes, there are certain studies made on the Motets. To my knowledge, one by Fr. Lourdino Barreto and the other by a Portuguese musicologist, Prof. Manuel Morais. Fr. Romeo Monteiro has published a booklet on this.
ON: Come to think of it, the Motet and the Mando belong to the same period!
JLP: Exactly, the Motet and the Mando came up in the second half of the 19th century. It was perhaps the fruit of what we could call a “compositional spurt” among Goan composers. At least for some hundred years in Goa, motets were composed in Latin. Perhaps in the nineteen fifties or a little earlier, they began composing motets in Konkani, like “Vell Mhozo Paulo” …
ON: Who composed it?
JLP: Look, we have a curious fact here. Manuel Morais has already found a number of motets, both in Latin and in Konkani, but there is no name of the composer!
ON: What could the reason be?
JLP: What he says is that perhaps the composers were few and widely known and hence there was no interest in knowing who had composed them.
ON: Let’s say, the composer of “Sam Francisku Xaviera”…
JLP: Raimundo Barreto! He is widely known for his iconic composition “Sam Francisku Xaviera”. I don’t know of any other composition by him. He probably has some.
ON: Would there be a way of collecting all the motets?
JLP: Yes. There are bound to be other motets, in private collections. Perhaps these Mestres, no longer alive today, have left in their trunks some other motets that are not known; but I doubt we shall ever know the names of the composers. That will be very difficult to find.
ON: So, at least regarding motets, we have surprises awaiting us…
JLP: I think so too.
ON: Let’s hope so! And now, let’s talk about music composed after the Vatican Council…
JLP: There are a number of composers, starting with Fr. Vasco do Rego. He was the pioneer of liturgical music in Konkani here in this diocese. We had religious songs in Konkani, even Lenten songs, which were not motets, like “Deva doiall kakutichea”, “Jezu mhojea tujer hanv patietam”. They are penitential hymns which most probably are one or even two centuries old. But the post-Conciliar impetus was given by Fr. Vasco do Rego. He composed many Lenten hymns and he was followed by others.
ON: And who would the others be?
JLP: Fr. Bernardo Cota, Fr. Lino de Sá, Fr. Santana Faleiro, Fr. Joe Rodrigues (this one is a junior priest, but has a couple of compositions)…
ON: And there must have been lay people…
JLP: Yes, there were lay people, too, like Alcântara Barros … and there was one who had been the Mestre of Verna church: I don’t remember his name.
ON: And Varela Caiado?
JLP: Well, I know Varela Caiado as the organist of our Cathedral in Old Goa. I don’t know him as a composer. I have no idea of any compositions by him. But he was a first-rate musician. He was the organist of our Cathedral: this is all I know of him.
ON: Are there productions of Lenten music brought forth by the Diocesan Commission for Sacred Music?
JLP: Yes, there are. I think there are at least two publications of Lenten sheet music, some loose leaflets, besides one or two audio compact discs.
ON: What would be some peculiarities of the Lenten rituals in Goa?
JLP: Well, we have traditions in Goa that are not followed elsewhere. First, the Santos Passos procession is something typical of Goa, and perhaps of a few other parishes which were part of the Diocese of Goa in times gone by, like Belgaum, Sawantwadi, Karwar: these places, which now belong to other dioceses, were part of the Archdiocese of Goa; so the Santos Passos are to be found there too. If one goes to Central India or South India or North India, no, no Santos Passos there. We have inherited this from Portugal, where the tradition still exists.
Here in Goa, the Santos Passos are an interesting event…. There are ‘two Goas’: North Goa and South Goa. In North Goa, Santos Passos are celebrated on every Sunday of Lent. If on the first Sunday of Lent one dwells on the Condemnation of Christ, the second Sunday is the Ecce Homo, on the third Sunday we have the Lord carrying the Cross, on the fourth Sunday, the Lord meeting his Mother on the way to Calvary, and so on: each Sunday offers a meditation on one of the Passos or steps of the Way of the Cross. They are not the fourteen stations, but just a few of them.
In South Goa, it is only one Sunday. For example, in Benaulim, it is the fifth Sunday, in Loutulim it is the third Sunday, and so on. Here you have only one procession of the Santos Passos, incorporating one or two or three Passos of the Way of the Cross.
Another tradition in Goa, both in North and South Goa: a child sings a Veronica hymn… Earlier on, the songs were only in Latin, but now there are Veronica songs in Konkani too.
ON: And the Procession of the Franciscan Saints?
JLP: Well, the Procession of the Terceiros: this too comes from Portugal! Here in Goa we know them as Terciários. In Portugal they are known as Franciscanos Terceiros or Franciscans of the Third Order. I wouldn’t know in which part of Portugal, but they still hold this procession of the Franciscan Saints over there. Here the procession is held only in one place: Goa Velha.
ON: But I’ve heard that Rome is the only other place where such a procession is held…
JLP: I’ve heard that too. If it’s true, I wouldn’t be able to say in which parish of Rome it is held. But I can tell you that there are a couple of parishes in Portugal where such a procession of Franciscan Saints is held: fourteen, fifteen andores (litters) are taken in procession, just like in Goa. But here, no longer are they Franciscan saints alone. There are other saints: Saint Joseph Vaz, the Patron of our Archdiocese, has already been added to the saints here. Don’t be surprised if one day the procession adds in Mother Teresa, Saint Teresa of Kolkata….
ON: But how did a Lenten procession of Franciscan Saints come about in the taluka of Ilhas or Tiswaddi, which was evangelized by the Dominicans?
JLP: Well, this procession, which takes place on the Monday following the Fifth Sunday of Lent, began in the Pilar Monastery, at a time when the Franciscan Capuchos lived there. When the Monastery was shut down, all those saints or images were lodged at the Parish Church of Goa Velha… Note that Pilar still belongs to the parish of Goa Velha, and it is this same parish that holds the procession every year.
ON: As we come to the end of this chat, may I ask you for a message for the season of Lent!
JLP: My message as a priest is that we should live the spirit of Lent as it should be: a spirit of penance, saying no to ourselves, all right, but not with ashes on our heads or sitting on sackcloth as they did in the Old Testament. Ours is a more joyful Lent, because the penance I make, I make it with love and with joy: I am anticipating the joy of the Lord’s Resurrection!
For the original audiovisual version in Portuguese, see Renascença Goa at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXlnAoKU42M
English translation by the interviewee, at my request.
First published in Revista da Casa de Goa (Lisbon), Series II, Issue 9, March-April 2021 and here with a few additional inputs from the interviewee.
Good Friday Procession in Panjim
The 3 o’clock, Good Friday service at the city church of the Immaculate Conception comprises a poignant Crucifixion tableau.
Soon thereafter, a procession of Senhor Morto (Dead Lord) on an andor (black canopied wooden platform carrying a life-size statue of Our Lord who died on the Cross) starts off, with a statue of Our Lady in trail. It wends its way through the main thoroughfares (the church square, a section of 18th June, Pissurlencar, past Azad Maidan), making a major halt to pray at the chapel formerly attached to the mansion of a Portuguese noble family. The cavalcade then proceeds via M. G. Road and Dr D. R. de Sousa, past the Garcia de Orta Garden, and up the church stairway.
The pious march takes approximately 90 minutes. It is animated by five decades of the Marian rosary recited over speakers fitted at several points; and by Lenten hymns sung by a choir to the accompaniment of a brass band. The circuit is marked by over ten descansos (halts). At these points, penitents, all of them de rigueur, in funereal attire, flock to the two statues. Members of other religious faiths also pay their respects; many watch in awe or stand at attention (I noticed a policeman saluting).
One such halt is at a quaint chapel traditionally called 'Capela de Dom Lourenço', located behind what is now the iconic Hotel Mandovi. In times past, the chapel was part of the manor belonging to Dom Lourenço de Noronha, a Portuguese nobleman, who had acquired a large estate in the then incipient city centre. After the palatial mansion was razed, the chapel was handed over to the care and possession of the city church. Alas, the venerable structure is in a state of disrepair.
On the said route, two Hindu families (Caculó and Neurencar) traditionally offer garlands. Businesses brighten up their establishments, or simply light candles and burn incense on the adjoining pavements.
In a coda to the baroque event is a sermon (Sermão da Soledade de Maria) at a stair landing: here, from a balcony that serves as a makeshift pulpit, a priest extols the virtues of Mary and highlights her present solitude. The congregation listens in silence even while vehicle noises spoil the ambience.
The statues return to the church for final veneration. By 8 o’clock, they call it a night!
Santos Passos in Panjim
The ceremonies of the Santos Passos (‘Holy Steps’, in Portuguese) – a representation of the holy steps of Christ’s Passion – date back to the early days of Christianity in Goa.
While the Holy Week services comprise the most intense moments of the Lenten observances, many churches spread them out over the 40 days of Lent.
At the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, Panjim, a huge black screen is put up every year, on the first Sunday of Lent, at the archway leading to the chancel. As a little child, I was overawed but also curious to know from my Dad the meaning of the Latin expression inscribed very high up: “O mors, ero mors tua” means "Oh death, I will be your death".
Only much later, I got to appreciate John Donne’s poem, “Death, be not proud”, which ends with the line “Death, thou shalt die”. The words are from Hosea 13: 14.
Similarly, in John 11: 25-26, Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Inside the chancel of the Panjim city Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, or say, behind the black curtain, the tableau changes every Sunday. Here are scenes of the first four Sundays of Lent.
- The Agony in the Garden 2. Jesus is condemned by Pilate 3. The Flaggelation 4. The Crowning with thorns 5. Condemnation by Pilate
The sixth Sunday of Lent is observed as Palm Sunday, alternatively called Passion Sunday. At this church, the scene is festive in the morning. By afternoon, the mood changes. After the evening Mass, the tableau portrayed is that of Jesus carrying the Cross. At other churches in Goa, this tradition of this tableau could be different. In fact, old parish churches in North, Central and South Goa have other peculiar traditions in this regard.
The larger-than-life size statue follows a procession of the faithful, down the zigzag stairs of the city church. The procession wends its way through the city streets, much like the procession on Good Friday, and returns to the church by Angelus time.