Folklore: The Curious Incident of the Church of St. Diogo

Many years ago, a church was built on the boundary  that separated Sangolda from the neighbouring village  of Guirim. Differences in caste had already caused a rift  between the two and this only made things worse. It was  to be the place of worship for both communities. 

The village folk gathered at the church one morning  to decide which of the two towers would be made the  belfry. Naturally, the citizens fought over it as both  wanted it on their side of the boundary. The debate went  on for hours with no end in sight. Soon it was time for  lunch.

A spokesman from Sangolda came forward and  said, “Brothers, let us go home and return after lunch.  Our wives have prepared food. It is not fair to keep  them waiting like this”. His appeal to the heart and the  stomach was well received. They had all agreed.  Just as he said this, he turned to his people and slyly  winked. The people of Sangolda pretended to leave and  quietly hid in a paddy field out of sight. Just as the people  of Guirim had finally left, the people of Sangolda quickly  made their way back to the church, hoisted the bell onto  the tower and victoriously rang it for all to hear. The  furious folk of Guirim rushed back from their homes but  it was too late.