Media Release
Dublin, Dec 13: Konkans Ireland brought the spirit of Christmas alive in a spectacular event filled with joy, laughter, and cultural richness.
In a heart-warming display of faith and community spirit, Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, apostolic nuncio to Ireland lead a beautiful Christmas Mass, creating a sacred space filled with love and unity.
The evening began with a warm welcome, setting the stage for a memorable and spiritually enriching experience. Adorned in festive vestments, the archbishop presided over the Mass, delivering a poignant sermon on the true essence of Christmas - love, compassion, and the significance of Jesus Christ's birth.
The harmonious blend of traditional hymns and scripture readings, accompanied by the choir's angelic melodies, created an atmosphere of reverence. The archbishop's message resonated, emphasizing the universal themes of peace and goodwill.
Then the evening unfolded with a warm welcome by Helen Castelino, setting the stage for an unforgettable night of festivities.
The welcome dance by Ashline Lobo marked the commencement, leading to the introduction and felicitation of archbishop and Fr Suresh Babu, gracefully handled by Helen Castelino and Veena Lasrado.
Archbishop and Fr Suresh shared their heartfelt Christmas messages, emphasizing the essence of the season. Following the messages, the attendees enjoyed a delightful tea and snack break, where the much-anticipated kuswar sale began, along with the distribution of raffle tickets and good coupons.
The Christmas committee, guided by the dynamic emcees Aviv and Avrit Machado, ensured the evening remained engaging and entertaining. The programme featured captivating dances by Ashline Lobo, and a charming Angel dance performed by Elisha Dsouza, Hannah Prabhu, Raizel, and Rolen D’Souza.
Maria Lobo orchestrated lively games, adding an interactive element to the celebration. The kids christmas dance, featuring the talents of Kevin, Arnel, Ava, Jack, Ruben, Elisha, Ciara, Shaun, Sarah, Nicole, and Hannah, brought a youthful energy to the event.
The Christmas committee members Amitha/Ivan, Leena/Roshan, Veena/Vijay, Maria/Arun, Helen/Mark, Jessy/Nisha, Deepthi, Careen/Royston, Gretta/Sunil performed a wonderful dance based on Christmas theme.
The cultural programmes showcased a variety of talents, including dance performances by Olivia Lynn Mistry, Leandra Cutinha, Lyrica Cutinha, Aanvi Akash, Agniv Nair, and a Konkani song by Ava Pinto. The Irish dance by Aaron Quadros and the Konkani and Tulu group dance added cultural diversity to the celebration by Ashline, Arvin, Chris, Crystal and Nisha.
The musical interlude included a song by Kevin Castelino and a duet dance by Nikita Nair and Thejaswini Puttarajappa. The amazing group dance featured Arathi, Rebecca, Melisha, Akshay, Melville, and Royston, showcasing the group's diverse talents.
There was Christmas star, Christmas card and Christmas cake competition led by Careen Mathias. The judges for cake competition were Vijay Bennis, Savitha D’Souza and Reshma Sequeira. And the winner was Thejaswini Raj. The Christmas card judged by Fr Jerry Brcoran, Saritha Moras, and Jane Mathias. And the winner was Orville Mathias. The Christmas Star competition judged by Roman Pereira, Steffy Jennifer Quadros and Preetham Lobo. Competition won by Zion D’Souza.
The evening continued with the introduction of new Konkans Ireland members, a mesmerizing band performance by Antony, Jessy, Alex, Manuel and Hazel lead by Marian Prabhu. A heartfelt grace before meals by Fr Suresh. Dinner with loads of South Indian dishes was served amid the tunes of the DJ, concluding the event with Emcee Helen Castelino's closing speech.
Deepthi Fernandez and Christmas committee lead Ivan Dantis expressed gratitude to photographer Monica Mathias and the band members, with a special mention of Ivan Dantis leading the committee leader selection and announcement for 2024. The night concluded with a lively DJ session, Raffle draw, prize distribution, participant giveaways, and Christmas goodies for all kids.
Konkans Ireland Christmas celebration was a grand success, leaving everyone with cherished memories and the anticipation of more festive gatherings in the years to come.
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