Goa Fairs & Festivals

Hindu Fairs & Festivals

(January/February)
Mahashivratri: A celebration in the honour of Lord Shiva held at all the principal Shiva templeIs, it is celebrated in Harvalem, Ramnathi, Kavlem, Mangueshi, Nagueshi, Shiroda, Brahmapuri. Shirgao, Kasarpal, Fatorpa and Panaji.

Rantha Saptami: Festival takes place in February at the Mallikarujuna Temple.Maruti-Zatraat Shri Mahalakshmi Temple is presiding deity of Panaji, Goa's capital city.

Mahalasa Jatra or Vijayarathotsav (Chariot Festival)
It is celebrated at Mahalasa Temple of Mohini in Ponda.

(February/March)
Shigmotsav: It is celebrated in all over Goa. Special celebrations at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco-da-Gama and Margao. A spring festival celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Phalgun in March.

It is a grand five day festival of colour, celebrated distinctively in the villages, corresponding with Holi or Spring Festivals. Shigmo is universally celebrated in Goa, but specially in Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco Da Gama and Margoa.

Ghodemodni: Or Parade of the Horse Riders, is part of Shigmo and is found in Fatorpa and Bicholim. Hypnotic and rhythmic music of drums and Whistles accompany the martial dance, which Parades down the main street, imitating horses and their riders.

Rombat: Takes place on the second and third day of Shigmo. It is a Procession of men in traditional dress carrying banners and umbrellas dancing to the music of drums. Young boys wave green twigs, signifying the arrival of spring.

Goa Carnival
Among the various colourful feasts and festivals feasts and festivals that Goa celebrates -with great eclat, Carnaval and Shigmo are the most rumbustious, awaited by the population with intense enthusiasm. Unlike 'Shigmo' which is also celebrated in some oilier parts of India, although under different appellations, 'Carnaval Goa's own, unique, and the Union Territorys contribution to India's other expressions at untrammelled revelry.
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Shigmo Festival
Holi in Goa is celebrated as Shigmotsav, which is a festival of farewell to winter and welcome to spring celebrated with colour, songs and dances to the beat of drums. Float parades depicting various scenes of mythology are also held.

Shigmo in Goa is esentially a festival of the masses. It is so all over India, though it is celebrated under different names and in different ways in various parts of the country.

It is the festival of farewell to winter celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna(March), the last month of the Hindu calendar.

In Goa, which has always been land of temples, shigmo begins with Naman or collective obeisance of villagers from 9th moon day to full-moon day. During all these days, they are to 'shun' non-veg. food and all intoxicants.

From the 11th Moon day to the 15th moon day, various village groups clad in their most colorful dresses set out with festive mood with multi-colored cloths, torans, flags and column-like red spoted "Dwajas", beating drums and blowing flutes to gather at the village temples, and dance in the temple court yard singing various folk songs to the beat of the drums.

On the 5th day comes the real day of re-joicing. It is called "Rang Panchami" - it is practised differently at different places. The main function of the day, however, is the profuse use of 'Gulal' or red-powder. It's a symbol of rejoicing, when people throw it on each other as a sign of full-hearted greeting.