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Goa is shimmering always with various festivals; the Goan people celebrate fairs and festivals which are important part of their culture life. In one side, Goa is sizzling with trance music and in other side the locals celebrate some traditional festivals with folk song and music. A visit to Goa will be more enjoyable if one plans a Goa tour during the festival time.
The festivals of Goa make it an exotic destination for the foreign tourists. The most westernized destination in India, Goa is known as the capital of hippy. The Goa Carnival is the most sought after festivals for the foreign tourists who want to indulge in the festivities of the Carnival.
The local people of Goa celebrate some festivals which have a close relation with the cultural and religious beliefs of the people. Celebrated in a particular time period of the year, the local festivals of Goa are a vibrant way of life for the Goan people. Singing and dancing are important parts of the festivals. Goa is a rocking city in which various modern forms of music developed like Goa Trance. The most renowned festivals in Goa are Kala Utsav, Christmas, Feast of Three Kings, St. Francis Day, Food and Cultural festival and many more.
Goa Carnival
Goa Carnival is a festival of modern spirit and enthusiasm celebrated for duration of three days. It is a festival of color, music and dance. A hypothesis suggests that the Goa Carnival is derived from a word “Carrus Navalis’ which means a carriage that paraded during the Roman festival Saturnalia in devotion to Saturn. The carriage was full of fancy dressed men and women who sing obscene song.
A symbol of fun and merrymaking culture of Goa, Goa Carnival is a cultural heritage left behind by the Portuguese who ruled in Goa from 1510 to 1961.Earlier it was a noisy celebration in which the participators used to throw flour, eggs, oranges, lemons, mud, sand-filled gloves along with dirty water, various liquids and glue to the passersby. Though the merrymaking of the festival changed a lot now-a-days, yet it still keeps its heart of the original.
Goa Carnival is celebrated before the Easter. It is celebrated throughout Goa. A king called King Momo is elected who presides over the festivities of the three days. It is also a festival of food. People indulge in good foods.
The musical part of the festival is the main attraction to the foreign tourists. Street Plays, songs, dances, and unrehearsed farces are enacted by the artistes with great fun and enthusiasm. The streets are adorned with floats which depict lullabies and nursery rhymes. Cultural competitions are held. The participants wear colorful costumes and masks. People smear color on each other.
At the villages of Goa, the festivity of Goa Carnival has an indigenous tone. Earlier it was a festival for the Christian population, now it becomes a cultural festival to the Goan people. It has lost its religious undertone and becomes a cultural symbol of the state.
Food and Cultural Festival of Goa
If you are a foodie and have a passion for Indian seafood, then come down to Goa during the Food festival. The five-day food festival in Goa is celebrated with an eye on seafood.
You will be wondered to come to know that the Goans have great passion for food as they have for music, dance and painting. Cooking is a delicate art to them and they like to celebrate even a festival for food. The cuisine of Goa is a blend of Western and Indian variety. However, the main delights of Goa cuisine is indeed seafood. Even the seafood delicacies of Goa can soothe the palate of a fussy gourmet.
At the food festival of Goa, a number of stalls are run by the reputed chefs and the hotel industry. Even the housewives who have a unique style of cooking showcase their culinary delights. One can savor here a wide variety of drinks, alcoholic beverages, ice-creams and snacks.
At the concluding day of the Goa Food Festival, fireworks are displayed and cultural programmes are held.
Christmas
Christmas is celebrated in Goa with great fervor and enthusiasm. It is festival not only for the Christians in Goa; people of other religions also take part in this great religious festival. The market places are beautified with colorful decorations and Christmas trees are seen all over the cities and at home and church. The churches of Goa also celebrate this festival with lots of arrangments.
St. Francis Day
A festival of Christian people, St. Francis day is celebrated at the Church of Bom Jesus on December 3. This festival is celebrated in great devotion to the catholic missionary St. Xavier Francis who preached the Gospel of Christ in Asia. On this day of celebration he was buried and his mortal remains are preserved in a silver casket at this church. His body was shown to the pilgrims on that day and last it was shown in 1994. The church still celebrate this festival in honor to this saint.
Shigmoutsav
A Hindu festival celebrated throughout Goa, Shigmoutsav is a major festival in Goa which is celebrated in other parts of the country in other names. It bids farewell to the winter season and celebrated in the month of March on the full Moon day. It starts from the 9 day of Moon day and continues to the full moon day. The villagers eat vegetarian foods and avoid all intoxicants. In each day of the festival, there are some unique features. In together, people dance, sing and wear multicolored clothes. Gathering at the village temples, they dance and enact some stories of myths and epics.
Kalas Utsav
Kalas Utsav is celebrated once in two years at Sri Morjaee Temple in Pernem in the Indian month of Phalgun which falls in the English months of February and March. It is a festival of seven days. Various religious and cultural programmes are held at this festival.
Feast of Three Kings
Feast of Three Kings is celebrated at the Church of Lady of the Mount on January 6. The Lady of the Church is known for miraculous powers of Lady. Devotees come from all over Goa and other neighboring states to have a look of the Lady on the festival day. People offer prayers to the stone chapel. The sleepy little villages come alive at this festival.
The height of the festival is at the dramatic climax when on the day of the feast of Magi, three little boys are selected as kings from the neighboring villages. Huge crowds gather to have a glimpse of the three kings who are dressed majestically. A fair is held on the day.
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