-Brian Mendonça
It was finally our turn to host a First Holy
Communion party for our son Dwayne. After attending so many, we were wishing we
had paid more attention to the way they managed the show.
How does one accommodate around 50 people for a
get-together? We managed to get a good deal with Casino Motels, Porvorim. They
were booked for the afternoon of the day of the First Holy Communion so we
settled for the evening. (The floor supervisor later confided that the trend is
to have evening parties as the crowd is too tired after the church service in
the morning.)
A small hall was ear-marked for the event and a
booking advance was paid. I loved the Goan ambience of the place. The
terracotta friezes in the central hall depicting rural Goa gave it an earthy
feel.
We were looking at a reasonable budget. This meant
that we had some tightening of the waistlines to be done. We decided to put on
hold our dinners at restaurants.
So what does one do from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.? We need
an M.C. or a compere, I thought. So we looked up some contacts and asked for
their quote. Many wanted to know the location, regardless of the work. One
texted, ‘Porvorim mure? 6 k.’ Others
sent their portfolio suggesting how versatile they were. But none of them
fitted the bill. With many experienced comperes in the family, Queenie
suggested we leave it to them. We also asked DJ Edryl spin us some music for
the evening.
The cake and the decorators arrived just before the
party started. We got the centre piece from Divine Creations, Panjim. They also
did the lettering for the backdrop. While confirming the menu and the snacks we
paid the motel another advance. Drinks would be served by the motel which would be
chargeable as per use. Because of the advance payments we only had to
pay a small sum in settlement of the final bill.
With our outstation guests staying with us, we had
fun the previous night sitting around the table trying to think up games to
keep the crowd going. Housie was one suggestion. Dividing the people in groups
and giving them activities was another. My sister Vanessa reminded me of the formalities like the cutting of the cake and the raising of the toast. Being the godmother, she delivered the toast with aplomb. Dwayne surprised us by sweetly saying a few lines by way of thanks. He was coached by my niece Melanie. Ravi said a prayerful grace before meals. My cousin Fr. Sunder came all the way from Bombay to con-celebrate the Mass. I even had my best man for my wedding, Dr. Rajan Barrett who waltzed in from Baroda especially for the occasion.
Lyn and Gus, the husband-wife duo from my sister’s
side in Pune did an excellent job compering. As I told the group with pride,
they also compered our wedding in Bombay. There were many prizes for the innovative games which had the crowd squealing with laughter. These included a tiffin box, pencil boxes and sketch-pen sets for the children. For the adults we picked up wine glasses, glass serving plates, and coffee mugs. Eco-friendly items like bags, show-pieces of jute, a dream-catcher, paper flowers and handmade vases made by my students served as spot prizes for the lucky ones.
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Published with the title ‘Porvorim mure? 6 k.’ in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim,Goa on Sunday, 19th January 2020. Pix (top) Dwayne is blessed by his mother, Queenie Mendonca and dad Brian Mendonca in their home at Porvorim on Sunday, 12th January 2020 - the day of his First Holy Communion. Pix (middle) Dwayne shakes a leg at the reception, on the evening of Sunday 12th January 2020. Photo courtesy Felix Mendonca. Pix (bottom) Family pose with Dwayne after the First Holy Communion Mass at Holy Family Church, Porvorim, Goa on Sunday, 12th January 2020.
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