The significance of pasan in Lent
 

BY W. T. A. Leslie Fernando

THE season of Lent that lasts for 40 days culminating in the Holy Week is a period of repentance for Christians all over the world. During this season penance and acts of contribution are performed by the Christians remembering the agony and suffering Christ underwent for the salvation of mankind.

In the past group singing of "Pasan" at churches and at homes was a significant feature during the Lent. Chanting of Pasan helped to create a penitential atmosphere for the season. Pasan which has a special appeal of its own is indigenous to the Catholics in Sri Lanka.

The history of Pasan relates back to the Portuguese period in our country. It is recorded in a history book of Franciscans written in 1636, than one Franciscan friar Antonio Peixoto who lived in Matara had presented religious drama in Sinhala has also composed chants on the Passion of Christ.

It is said that Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez had drawn inspiration from the compositions of Antonio Peixoto when he wrote the Pasan Potha or the Book of Dirges. None of the plaintive chants composed by Antonio Peixoto have come down to us.

The earliest form of Pasan we could speak of today are those composed by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez during the Dutch times.

Blessed Joseph Vaz seeing that people loved to see puppet plays initiated the performance of Passion shows on the model he had witnessed in Goa with images of sacred personages. It is recorded in the "Oratorian Mission" that there were Passion shows in Kandy and in Vanni in 1706 and later in Trincomalee and several other places.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez, the assistant, companion and successor of Blessed Joseph Vaz, did much to improve those Passion shows introduced by Blessed Joseph Vaz.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez presented "Dukprapthi Prasangaya" a book that contained nine sermons to be recited while the dumb passion show was enacted.

To break the tedium of listening to long sermons he composed nine sets of metrical compositions called "Pasan" to be recited in between the sermons. These Pasan composition were embodied in Desana Navaye Pasan Potha or the Book of Dirges.

The term "Pasan" is used for the first time in the Desana Navaye Pasan Potha. According to Bishop Edmund Pieris the term "Pasan" is a derivation from the Portuguese word "Peixao" meaning passion or the sufferings of Christ.

In "Pasan" the influence of Sinhala classical poems like "Guttilaya". "Buduguna Alankaraya", "Kusajatakaya", "Daham Sonda Kava" and "Wessantara Jathakaya" is seen.

The verses in Pasan are composed in mixed Sinhala found in Prasasthi Kavyas or eulogistic poems and you get some Tamil words in them as well. They were set to a mixture of Carnatic ragas and folk music found in the soil.

Pasan moved the faithful to the depths of their soul with devotion. People loved not only to sing them but also to listen groups singing them aloud during the Lent season. Towards the end of the 19th century there came into being many Pasan chants based on the model introduced by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez.

Some places where traditional reciting of Pasan flourished were Colombo-Mutwal, Duwa, Negombo, Ja-Ela, Pitipana, Boralessa, Bolawatta, Burulapitiya, Kaleliya, Paiyagala, Wadduwa, Maggona and Wahakotte. As time went on Pasan in each place developed an identity of its own.

In places like Wahakotte, the influence of Sinhala folk music like Nelum Kavi prevalent in the area was distinctly seen. In places like Negombo, Duwa, Boralessa and Bolawatta the influence of Carnatic ragas were prominent in Pasan.

The Tamil counterpart of Sinhala Pasan was "Oppari" which too was composed by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez. They contain pathos said to be found seldom in prose or verse in any language. At one time Catholic women from Negombo who used to chant Oppari at funerals were misunderstood as "hired mourners".

In the past chanting Pasan at nightfall in the season of Lent was a common sight in many a Catholic home. Along with pasan sermons in the "Dukprapthi Prasangaya" and prayers like "Kayaduskara Prarthanava" also written by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez were chanted in plaintive tones.

Modern scholars who have done research have expressed the view that the practice of chanting "Wessantara Jathakaya" and other Jathaka stories at funerals has been inspired by the recital of Pasan by the Catholics during the Lent.

A special attraction of the famous "Boralessa Passion Play" of Lawrence Perera in 1930s was its music. This music was created by setting oriental melodies in Western harmony and it fascinated even the foreigners. Pasan too was made use of to create lovely music in the "Boralessa Passion Play".

In 1940s the late Dr. Edmund Pieris, as the Bishop of Chilaw gave an impetus to group recital of Pasan. Based on the model of Pasan, he initiated the chanting of plaintive hymns in "Thevaram" style in Sinhala at funerals instead of Latin choral singing. Thevaram too is full of pathos and moves the gathering.

Chanting of Pasan enlivens the season of Lent. Group singing of Pasan in villages bring together people amidst their petty differences and thereby create unity among them.

Today chanting of Pasan have disappeared in many Catholic areas. Nevertheless chanting of Pasan in between the scenes of the traditional Passion shows is still continued. The Passion recitals edifies the drama.

Sometime ago, the Chilaw Diocese Cultural Committee collected and printed many Pasan verses and other plaintive chants from various places. Some of them have been recorded in cassette form.

An attempt should be made to present Pasan chants to suit modern times and conditions without changing its character. The practice of chanting Pasan at churches and at homes during the season of Lent should be revived.

(The writer is a former High Court Judge)