Goa is one of the few places that offer a peek into the state’s rich traditions with a modern appeal to be able to cater to visitors of all kinds. Not many are aware but Goans celebrate a mind-boggling number of festivals and fairs that are integral to their very existence.
Goans celebrate festivals throughout the year and it’s through these that they cherish the region’s great cultural heritage and traditions – in the form of religious festivals, street fairs, carnivals or processions, dance, music and food festivals. In fact, it will be safe to state that the ‘Goan experience’ is incomplete without experiencing the community and public festivals of Goa.
Festival of colour
The spring festival in Goa, known as the Shigmo Festival or Shigmotsav, is a colourful 14-day celebration by the Konkani diaspora of the state. It is celebrated with immense euphoria and fervour and takes places in the Phalgun month (around March) every year as per the Saka calendar (Hindu lunar calendar) followed by the Hindus in Goa.
It is one of the most popular cultural festivals of Goa and despite the traditional value and grandeur of the celebrations; it has sadly not received the attention or the coverage like other carnivals or festivals in Goa.
A vibrant festival of colours, Shigmo is celebrated to welcome the spring season. ‘Shigmo’ is a Konkani word derived from the Prakrit word ‘Suggimaho’ and the Sanskrit word ‘Sugrishmaka’. The festival has mention in the ancient Puranas as well.
There are two types of Shigmo festival – the DhaktoShigmo (dhakto meaning small) and the VhadloShigmo (meaning big). While the former is celebrated by the rural Goans comprising farmers and labourers, the latter is a more public affair and sees participation from all kinds of people.
The Shigmo Parade held annually on the streets of Goa is a grand affair. It is held in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa, Vasco and Ponda. Spectacular floats depicting religious and mythology scenes, traditional folk dances and street dancers can be seen during the parade. Locals dress up in colourful costumes and perform folk dances – Divli, Ghode Modni, Gopha, Phugadi, etc.
Shigmo also commemorates the homecoming of the brave soldiers who had left their families and home at the end of Dussera to fight the invaders. Since the festival is celebrated at the onset of spring, it’s also known as a harvest festival.
Shigmo, mainly in Konkan, is observed across India with different names and has different legends associated with it in these regions. It’s called Holi in North India, Dolyatra in Assam and Bengal, Kamadahan in South India and Shimga in Maharashtra.
Sao Joao and ‘leap of joy’
One of the most popular Catholic festivals celebrated in Goa, the Sao Joao festival is celebrated on 24 June every year as a tribute to St John the Baptist. The Catholics in Goa celebrate all the feasts of the Roman Catholic Church including the feast of St John the Baptist on June 24 as he had baptised Jesus Christ on Jordan River. There is an electrifying vibe during the festival as the fervour is high and unmatched.
During the festival, villagers jump into rivers, streams, fountains, wells and ponds signifying the happiness of St John the Baptist when Jesus was born and the ‘leap of joy’.
Enjoyed by both children and adults, the festival also includes playing the traditional percussion instrument of Goa – the gumott and there’s a boat festival as well.
The traditional festival is celebrated in the villages of Cortalim in South Goa and Harmal (Arambol), Baga, Siolim and Terekhol (Tirakol) in North Goa. In the modern version, there are pool parties and private Sao Joao parties where the participants and the guests, donning Kopel flower and leaf crowns, dance and feast on traditional Goan food.
The feast of St Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier arrived in Goa on 6 May 1542 for evangilisation and the day is celebrated by the Catholic community across Goa in a big way. His activities made a significant religious impact in India as during his time, there were large scale conversions to Catholic faith (peaceful and forced, both), several churches were built, there were baptisation, etc.
The festival is observed on 3 December every year that happens to be Saint Francis Xavier’s death anniversary. Thousands of devouts from across the world gather at Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa (Velha Goa) to participate in the morning mass. The zone transforms into a fair with beautiful decorations on the streets and stalls selling food, delicacies, drinks, knickknacks, etc.
As per a popular legend, a few Portuguese merchants performed the Saint’s last rites and buried him in a coffin, partly filled with unslaked lime. When a Jesuit exhumed the body a few months later, he found the corpse with no decomposition and Francis Xavier was conferred with the title of ‘saint’. Until 1994, his body, placed in silver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus, would be brought out every ten years on his death anniversary and kept in a glass case for the devotees to see.
Carnivals and revelry
The Carnival in Goa can be termed as the most famous of all Goan festivals as it invites unmatched attention and participation. The carnival is celebrated for three days and three nights and precedes the month of Lent (February) – the 40-day period of fasting and absenteeism from meat. It was first organised by the Portuguese in the 18th century.
Goa carnivalThe Goa Carnival is marked by fun-filled activities, feast, drinks, music and dance. During the days, there are grand, colourful and musical parades starting from Panjim and evenings see gala balls and people partying on the streets through the night.
Another popular festival in Goa known as the Three Kings Feast is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is celebrated in North Goa’s Verem village and in Cansaulim and Chandor villages in South Goa.
Dedicated to The Lady of Mount- Virgin Mother Mary with infant Jesus in her lap, the celebrations take place for nine days and are held in the chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remidos or Our Lady of Cures where the idol of Virgin Mother Mary is decorated with flowers, gold jewellery and garlands.
Goa Sunburn Festival is Asia’s largest three-day Dance and Music festival. Every December, tourists from all over the world converge to Goa to come to enjoy enchanting music of Indian and international artists.
The Goa Cashew and Coconut Fest is also a popular event where one can see the most unique ways in which coconuts and cashews are used. There are fun-filled activities such as cashew stomping sessions, climbing a coconut tree, cocktail sessions and cookery shows.
Festivals integral to Goans
Other than Shigmo, Hindu festivals celebrated in Goa include Shivratri when Shiva temples in the state are illuminated with colourful decorations and lights and the devotees offer milk and woodapple leaves to Mahadeva.
The festival of lights, Diwali, is also celebrated with pomp and fervour in Goa for five days. On the evening of Diwali, diya or lamps are lit, paper lanterns are hung at homes and delicacies are prepared for friends and family and to offer as prasad during the puja.
Ganeshutsav is also widely celebrated in Goa. However, in Goa, this festival is more of a family affair than a public one, as seen in parts of Maharashtra. Goan households prepare matoli – a wooden canopy decorated with indigenous fruits, vegetables, wildflowers and herbs, prepare sweets and delicacies and perform the daily puja during Ganeshutsav.