Houston Konkan Catholic Association celebrates Easter with family & friends

By Maureen Crasta
Pics by Roshan D’Souza & Vigil Fernandes
Bellevision Media Network

Houston/US, 26 Apr 2019: Houston Konkan Catholic Association celebrated Easter at the Knights of Columbus Events Center in The Woodlands, Texas, on April 21.

 

Youngsters and budding Emcees, Nikita D’Souza and Sian Lobo started by outlining the exciting activities that would unfold throughout the day. Ronnie and Asha Pinto began the festivities by leading the excited children outdoors on an Egg Hunt, which kept them happily engaged as they ran around looking for the colorful Easter eggs.

 

Vikram and Leandra Fernandes, on behalf of the Core Committee and the Woodlands hosting team gave a warm welcome to the 150+ members and guests. Guests were invited to enjoy delicious appetizers of chicken 65 and gobi manchurian along with steaming masala chai and cool lemonade which gave a great start to the day.

 

Adults were then grouped into teams by Chris and Karen Pinto for the icebreaker game. Teams were asked to come up with innovative ideas to dress up their team leader as Bunnies. The best dressed Bunny with the most creative performance was declared the winner. Next, Leslie and Tina Mathias engaged the kids in an energetic game, which had them pitting wits against each other in a hilarious bid to win first prize.

 

Music is the soul of every event, and talented musician, Michael Moras rose to the occasion, thrilling every listener there with a mesmerizing rendition of English, Konkani and Bollywood hits such as Rosalina, Maria, Pal Pal, Sweet Caroline and other songs. It was then time for the sumptuous Easter feast. Nicholas, Crescy and Clarissa Lobo led the ‘Grace before meals’ after which guests sat down to enjoy a mouth-watering spread of traditional homemade pork bafat and sannas, along with Chicken Tikka Masala, Mixed Vegetable Kadai Masala, Dal Tadka, Goat Curry, Pudina Cashew Rice, Papad, Raita, Vegetable Pasta and ending with crowd favorite – Gulab Jamun and Ice-cream. No Konkani traditional event is complete without ‘Laudate Dominum.’

 

Maxi Pereira enlightened guests on the origin and significance of this beloved Latin hymn. Valerian Lobo took the lead in singing the hymn with great gusto taking members along with him on a nostalgic journey to our cherished Konkan roots.

 

The curtain then rose on a spellbinding dance performance by Sian Lobo, Nikita D’souza and Karina D’Souza to the pulsating tunes of ‘Manwa Laage’, ‘Nagada Sang Dhol’, ‘Desi Girls’, ‘India Wale’, ‘Diana Bai’ and concluding with ‘Maria Pitache’ which brought the audience to their feet, whistling and clamoring for more. Throughout the day, a variety of spot prizes were given out which added a competitive flavor to the event. Guests then enjoyed a hilarious game of Newspaper Dance organized by Chris and Karen Pinto which had the participants squirming and twisting desperately in order to keep their feet on the paper. Soon it was time to set the dance floor on fire. DJs Ashton Alva and Aaron Mathias played a medley of English and Hindi chartbusters that had the audience line dancing and performing energetic Bollywood moves.

 

 

The last activity of the day, ‘Housie Housie’ conducted by Sheila Titus and Leslie Mathias was greatly enjoyed by all participants while snacking on Pakodas and Chai. The day’s activities concluded with several lucky winners taking home early bird and raffle prizes. Amith and Ovita Fernandes brought the event to a conclusion as they thanked the audience for their wholehearted support and extended sincere gratitude to the Core Committee and all volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the event a grand success with meticulous planning and sheer dedication. One of the highlights of the Easter event was the Core Committee members introducing themselves along with their families and detailing their journey from their home towns of Mangalore and Goa to the United States.

 

Special thanks to Ronnie Pinto, Denver Pinto, Aling’s Chinese Cuisine and anonymous donors who sponsored various activities and prizes. Each family was gifted a Lindt Chocolate Bunny as they exited the venue which brought huge smiles to everyone’s faces.

 

Konkan Catholics residing in Houston, USA and interested in joining Houston Konkan Catholic Association may contact communications.director@hkcaus.org for more details.