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Fairs in Goa | Festivals in Goa
With the majority of the population being Hindu, Goa has scores of festivals celebrated all around the year. The festival are celebrated through out the year. Most of the Goan festivals are Jatras (feasts) of the local or family deity celebrated at the temple, called Devasthan.
Some of Goa's Own Festivals are :
Shigmotsav or Shigmo :
This is a grand five-day festival of colours, celebrated distinctively in the villages, corresponding with Holi or Spring Festival. Held for one-week up to the full-moon day in March, Shigmo is universally celebrated in Goa, but especially at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco-da-Gama and Margao.
Kalas Utsav-Festivals in Goa :
Kalas Utsav is celebrated on a major scale every alternate year at Sri Morjaee Temple in Pernem. People from Maharashtra and Karnataka also attend the seven-day socio-religious event held here.
Novidade :
The farmers, Hindu or Christian gives their first offering to the church before harvesting their rice crop. The offering takes place at the time of Novidade, in which the parish priest himself harvests a sheaf of rice and returns with it to the Church. Local people accompany him with music, fire-works and jubilation. Women folk of Goa's earliest tribal settlers perform a dance called Bhandup in the second half of the month.
Zatra of Shri Shantadurga-Fairs in Goa :
The Zatra of Shri Shantadurga is held at Dhargali in Pernem. The deity is taken out of the temple in a colorful procession for the day. The annual zatra of Shri Shantadurga at Kunkoliemkarin at Fatorpa in Quepem also falls in this month. Thousands flock to attend the festival from distant lands.
Bonderam Festival, Goa :
The feast of Bonderam is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of August every year at Divar Island, 12-km from Panjim. On this day, the quiant land of Divar, away from the hustle and bustle of Panjim, is agog with excitement. Melodious music drift from the village to mainland Old Goa - once the hub of Portuguese Goa - even before the crack of dawn on the Saturday. At noon people begin trickling into the village. By the evening the trickle is a deluge. An expectant crowd assembles along either side of the main through fare of the village. The tempo is set by lands and lasses wielding "fotashes" engaging themselves in mock battles. The gaily coloured floats accompanied by colourfully dressed youngsters make a pretty picture.
Goan's Carnival :
Goan's Carnival is a non-stop 3-day festival of colour, song and music, creating a healthy entertainment for all, young and old. The soothing climate, full of fun- 'n' -frolic, which the Carnival generates, is much longed for. It does not matter whether one enjoys or see others enjoying. There is enthusiasm and happiness all around.
Variant Colours of Festivity
Just before Lent in February-March, Goa surrenders to the spirit of fun and frolic and celebrates the Carnival. A portuguese legacy, celebrate the Goan's Carnival with mind-blowing dance performances, euphonic music, delicious food, float parades and the uproarious festivities of three days, presided over by King Momo in all the major towns. Join in, let your hair down to the exquisite spirit of joie de vivre and get a memorable experience to relish throughout your life.
The mixed culture of Goa is manifestated in other festivals too. Be a part of the glamorous Shigmo, applauded as the festival of colours. You can see colourful floats depicting Hindu mythology. Dance with the rhythm of cymbals with the folks, adorned in traditional costumes and carrying myriad coloured flags.
The biggest Christian festival - the Feast of St. Francis Xavier - is held on 3rd December at Old Goa and is attended by thousands of devotees from all pockets of the world. The festival is unique in a way that it beckons an interesting blend of east and the west. The magnificent dance forms like Kunbi and Mando are vivid examples of this fusion of Oriental and Western cultures - with predominatly western music and oriental movements. Goa has a few other unparagoned festivals that gives this palm-fringed state an extra edge.
Merriment In Monsoons
While Goa celebrates 365 days of the year, the monsoon festivals are fascinating as the rituals around them are a passageway to ancient fertility rites and worship of the elements that are long forgotten. The Sao Joah (Saint John) feast is an interesting occassion in which the village folks jump into monsoon drenched wells. Goans explain the custom with a reference to St. John, the Baptist, leaping in his mother's womb when she met Mary, the mother of Jesus.
You can see a number of makeshift rafts - sangodd - or boats adorned impressively floating on streams and rivers in some north Goans villages. As the rains wash the terrain and red mud comes to their true self, Goa springs up in Chikhalkala, the festival of mud that takes place in front of Devaki Krishna Temple in Marcela, in Ponda Taluka. It is amazing to see players (khelgadi) smear oil on their bodies and play traditional games in the mud, believed to have been played by child Krishna.
The Chill Out Festivity
You will be amazed to know that it is the only place besides Rome that has the annual Procession of All Saints (Goa Velha). Apart from the bustle of the cities, the serene villages also spring up to life during the festive times. On the auspicious day of 6th January every year, the three villages of Reis Magos, Cansaulim and Chandor celebrate the 'Journey of Three Kings' - who came bearing gifts for Lord Jesus - with reenactment by local boys who impressively groom themselves for the exciting role.
You can shop for some enticing local handicrafts from the fair that springs up atop the hill. Motley stalls sell different artifacts of tourist's interest and it's a pleasure to wander around amidst them. Another festival that draws innumerable tourists is the Christmas. People from all over the world come to Goa to celebrate the birth of Jesus with their loved ones. Beaches reverberate with Goan trance and everyone dancing to the tunes. The whole city is embellished with opulent lights and Goa transforms into a paradise.
Be A Part of The Desired Fun
The grand festivals of Goa display some chosen and cherished moments of the glorious past and affluent traditional culture of the state, for its visitors. The most interesting feature is that, all festivals are celebrated by all communities, irrespective of their caste, creed or belief. Visit the local stalls arrected during the festivals which display a wide array of typical Goan handicrafts and antique items. Adorn yourself with one of the ethnic ornaments dangling from the racks of the tribal stalls, trinkets which have now become a craze among the urban elite, both at home and abroad.
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End Tour/ Pearls tour
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