| Ovi
Songs
The Ovi songs relating to ceremonies of a profane nature
like weddings etc are very much current in Goa among the Hindus,
while they have almost disappeared among the Christians with few exceptions.
They are sung by women while applying the coconut-pulp milk to the bride
and groom, while preparing condiments for dinners etc. The most popular
are those that concern with the spirit of fertility in the biblical terms
of increase and multiply.
When the missionaries first began their work of spreading
of Christianity in Goa, they made use of the existing Konkani metres,
the main one used by them being the Ovi. People would gather around a
fire or a cross and reverently sing Ovis composed by the missionaries
in Konkani using biblical themes and other religious symbols.
Dantear Ovio meaning those ovis which are sung
while grinding wheat and rice for various food preparations on the
hand-mill (dantem in konkani) at wedding time, are sung in Goa. As the
women grind, they crush their worries and sorrows in a symbolical gesture.
The best of these ovis are found in the villages of Savoi-Verem, Boma
and Zambaulin.
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