Recently the community of São Cristovão {St. Christopher} had a Festa to celebrate their feast day, as you may know St. Christopher is the Patron Saint of Travellers and Drivers, so part of my duty was to bless all the bikes, trucks and jeeps when they arrived at the church in a procession following a truck carrying a statute of St. Christopher. We also celebrated the monthly Mass and had a parish barbecue.
A view from the main {dusty} road of the community.
The meat is on the barbecue. About two cows worth of meat. Each family buys a joint of meat for their picnic.
The local men playing a local skittle game which is very popular here. Many parishes compete against each other for a trophy. The object of the game is to knock all the balls off the wooden platform.
The bar is open, underneath the parish hall. The hall is built on stilts, which protects it from floods and also adds extra shade from the sun.
The local women in the kitchen in the hall.
Jeeps parked in the obligatory shade.
Preparing to celebrate Mass in the little church.
Vesting in the back of my jeep while waiting for the convoy to arrive.
Blessing the trucks and jeeps and motorbikes as they passed by while the choir sings.
The convoy and blessings continue as the women beside the jeep make a collection of "white" envelopes for the upkeep of the church. {They are not "backward about coming forward" here when it comes to raising funds.}
The image of St. Christopher is carried into the church for Mass.
I joined this family for the picnic.
