Exterior of the St. Bonaventure Chruch (Erangal)
Interior of the St. Bonaventure Chruch (Erangal)
One of the biggest feasts that has been celebrated since generations is the feast of Erangal. This feast earlier used to be celebrated on the Sunday following the 6th of January. This feast like a few others were "family feasts" were families used to get together and travel all the way to Mud Island. Even barely couple of decades ago i.e early nineteen Eighties, we could see quite a few people traveling in bullock carts and send the feast day in one of the vadi's. The vadi owners used to welcome the visitors and feel happy that devotees from far and wide, would make the effort to come all the way to their village.
Most of the vadis are now sold, and people who currently own them, demand money for people who come to spend the day. hence, the number of people visiting have dropped. Even so, the number of people who continue to visit, still prefer to spend the day with their family, and since they cannot get a place to stay at the vadi's, they stay on the beach.
(Pictures Courtesy: Walter Murzello)
It should be noted here that in the Nineteen Seventies, there used to be a sadhu just outside the church, with a couple photo frames of deities. A lot of church goers, used to give alms to him. Few years ago a small temple was built just outside the church, literally blocking the entrance to the church. In these days of distorted history, it is now being claimed that this temple existed before the church was built.
The Bonaventure Church, is in the ruins of an Old Portuguese fort. Currently there are very few East Indian families residing near this church.