![]() ![]() "The dance is aimed at driving away evil by invoking the gods," she adds. This is a clear case of syncretism, a shocking compromise of God's First Commandment. "It is a perfect example of syncretism, which is a process by which elements of one religion are assimilated into another religion," educator Avril Antao writes in O Heraldo, Goa's newspaper. The dancers pray for the repose of the souls of the dead if a family member has died in the past year. The troupe then performs the rite in front of every house in the village, and the lady of the house comes out with a lamp to welcome the dancers. ![]() Tiago Chapel, where a short litany is said and the first dance is performed. The troupe then marches to the nearby St. The ceremony begins with Catholic prayers, followed by an invocation seeking the blessing of Shiva. The syncretistic ritual, which takes place every year on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, begins with an all-male Catholic troupe gathering at a chapel in the Goan village of Chandor to invoke the Hindu god of destruction, Shiva.Ĭlad in traditional attire, with ankle bells on their feet and turbans on their heads, the men perform a mussollam fhel (pestle dance) before the village cross - believed to have been built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. Chandor Catholics perform a Hindu rite before this chapel Francis Xavier, are invoking Hindu gods in a ritual dance before each Lenten season. GOA, India ( ) - Catholics in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, which was evangelized by St. ![]()
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