Christmas at the Portuguese Settlement

Back to traditional Christmas at the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir

Lighted up green: Green is the colour of illumination at this home in Jalan Erida.

MALACCA: Always overshadowed by the numerous and varied commercial decorative paraphernalia and miniature multi-coloured illumination of the festive season, the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir in recent years has been stressing much on traditional, religious and in-house cultural aspects and facets of Christmas.

This is to fascinate visitors, local and overseas tourists dropping by the village by the hundreds nightly.

As 69-year-old retiree Joseph D’Costa as well as husband and wife Jerry Alcantra and Fendora, emphasise that it is time to move away from a festival to a true meaningful Christmas feast where the younger community generations can appreciate the significance of the season as a step in one’s growth and development of true Christian lives.

On their way: The ‘Santa’s Crew’ as organised by Jerry Alcantra and wife Fendora making their way around homes at the settlement for nightly carolling sessions.

D’Costa, a mango juice trader and long time settlement resident said, “Christ came on Christmas Day to bring joy. In this respect we should live this Christmas message instead of the customary merry-making, partying and being jolly,”

He added, “Christmas is about bringing joy, love and happiness to those around us. We pass this message through our interaction and involvement within the community. Christmas must also indicate the presence of Christ in the world at all times including with our lives’ sorrows, failures, disappointments and also moments of joy, bliss and happiness.”

In recent years, Jerry and Fendora has grouped some 30 young children including their own residing at the settlement to conduct nightly carolling sessions from house to house belting out traditional Christmas carols and popular festive hymns in both English and Latin.

The group complete with a battery powered sleigh on wheels see members wearing red and white outfits, capes and caps. Upon completion of the settlement rounds, the group is also invited to perform at major hotels and shopping centres in town.

Gingerbread homes: Cyril De Mello busy putting up home models at the entrance of his home,

“Usually the young are associated with merry-making during the season and we have brought back traditional practices like carolling and spreading the season’s joys and goodwill. Traditions like carolling or attending the midnight church service seem to be dying out but we are making sure our young come to know of these practices and preserve them for the generations ahead,” added Fendora.

Meanwhile, Christmas at the settlement, is like no other place in the country. Having hosted the national Christmas open house celebrations twice, the season associated to being merry and jolly is still being observed with much gusto and fervour particularly at family reunions.

As settlement regedor (headman) Peter Gomex explains, “The overall atmosphere is simply spontaneous and generally the community revels in the festivities. Also the period is like homecoming with family members, relatives and good close friends returning from outstation and overseas to be with the community folks.”

Gaily lighted up: Miniature illumination fills this home’s porch.

In recent years, the community’s women folk have begun to bake and cook up varied Portuguese cakes, delicacies and dishes relying on traditional home recipes preserved from the bygone years.

Among the traditional foodstuffs making comebacks are bolukoku, a cake made with coconut scrapings and agar-agar, a type of jelly made from seaweed.

Another Christmas seasonal cake is bluder, a butter-flour delicacy that is heavily spiced. Also on the home reunion meals menus is the long time popular feng, a spicy combination of liver, pig’s tongue, intestines and pork, all finely sliced. A beef preparation called semur is also on the card notably at family dinners.

As far as settlement decor and lighting up goes, no expense is spared.

With multi-coloured miniature bulbs and fancy illumination both inside and outside homes, the settlement is invariably turned into a fairyland.

Apart from Christmas trees in and ouside homes, even potted plants, porches, balconies, gates, fences and compounds are not spared the colourful illumination.

Large plastic toys and even mobile ones depicting everything from Santa Clauses, Santarinas, sleighs, snowmen, reindeers, ginger bread houses, bells of all shapes and sizes, gold and silver tinsel balls and still more varied lighting illumination are all part and parcel of the settlement’s Christmas do that makes the locality a truly one-of-a-kind in the country.

~News courtesy of The Star~