Bonderam Festival
Introduction to Bonderam Festival
The Bonderam Festival is celebrated in Goa in the memory of the protests that were made by the local villagers against the unjust and unreasonable system they adopted to settle land disputes and ownership issues of land. There is a history behind the Bonderam Festival. There were often some disputes and fights between the villagers on the Divar Island over the ownership of lands. Thus the Portuguese put up flags to mark the lines due to which the villagers were unable to capture the lands of the nearby villages. Thus they protested against this system.
Description of Bonderam Festival
Divar Island, the charming and quiet island in Goa comes alive with the festive spirit during the Bonderam Festival. There is a carnival ambience that is created with the melody of the music reaching even the mainland of Old Goa. Flocks of people come to take part in the carnival and rejoice in the celebrations of the Festival of Bonderam in Goa.There is a float for each section of the villages, that are decorated in colors and colorfully clad youngsters who take part in the parade, presenting a pretty picture. People engage in mock fights as a parody of the past, which is remembered with a “fotash’ fight that is a toy weapon of bamboo stems, while berries are used as missiles to knock down the aberrant flags.
Time for celebrating Bonderam Festival
The Bonderam Festival or the feast of Bonderam is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of August each year. The venue for celebrating the Bonderam Festival is at Divar Island, which is 12 kilometers from Panjim, the capital of Goa.
Feast of Three Kings
Introduction to Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of Three Kings in Goa is celebrated as an ode to the ‘Our Lady of The Mount’, a statue of Virgin Mary with infant Jesus in her hand, considered to be the protector of the people. On this day, the Lady of the Mount is adorned with jewelry and people from all over climb up to her to seek her blessings. The Festival of the Three Kings is celebrated after 12 days of Christmas to commemorate the visit of the three wise men to infant Jesus. The legend says that the boulder on the nearby hills still bears the footprints of Virgin Mary and the baby, where she supposedly rested before reaching the Hill of Remedies. Many state that the site of the Chapel of Remedios which stands there now was once a Hindu Temple site. Every year during this time, there are hundreds of Christian as well as Hindu devotees who make the annual pilgrimage to the Mount to offer prayers to Madonna, with candles, flowers and incense.
Description of Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of Three Kings Festival continues for 10 days. During this time, there is continuous dance, music and partying that keeps the spirit of Goa high. During the nine days of continuous revelry, the devotees come to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount to offer prayers and seek her blessings. The last day of the festival is celebrated in an unique fashion when three small boys aged between 8 and 10 are dressed up as the three Kings who brought gifts for infant Jesus. These boys, chosen from the local villages dress themselves up and make preparations for the grand event when they become the king for a day. The boys arrive to the chapel to offer wealth to the lady of the Mount and each of them take a different path and is accompanies by a jovial crowd. After the end of the rituals, there is a grand fete and fair organized where one can buy a wide variety of things, such as copper, brassware, furniture, clothes, toys , trinkets, bangles and spices.
Time for celebrating Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated on the 6th of January while the celebrations start from as early as 9 days before that.
Goa Carnival
Introduction to Goa Carnival
The most awaited of all festivals in Goa, the Goa Carnival is the ultimate time for enjoyment and merrymaking in Goa. Though essentially a Christian Festival, the colors of the festivals sees no religion and all the people living in Goa as well as the visitors traveling through this wonderful place get addicted to its extravaganza. Since the time when the Goa carnival was initiated by the Portuguese, this carnival in Goa has reached universal dimension and has been celebrated till today with no splendor and magnetism lost over the years.
Description of Goa Carnival
Goa Carnival spells pure entertainment. From morning till dawn breaks the next day, there is dance, music, merry making, and drinking, eating and pure revelry. The carnival takes place on all streets and corners of Goa and brings together all who blend with the festivities and ceremonies. The Goa carnival is unique and is not celebrated anywhere else in India. Though at the time when the carnival of Goa was started, there were only limited participants, but over the years, after its revival, the barriers have broken and the zeal of the carnival has crossed all boundaries and is enjoyed by all. The Goa Government and the Municipal Councils also participate in this 3 day extravaganza along with the famous colorful precession of King Memo which attracts more and more people to Goa during the Goa Festival time.
Time for celebrating Goa carnival
The usual time for celebrating the Goa Carnival is during February, for three days and three nights.
Procession of All Saints
Introduction to the Procession of All Saints in Goa
India is a land of innumerable festivals, in tread with the cycle of the seasons. These proceed with sowings and harvesting and around them have grown legends, most of them portraying the victory of good over evil. These fairs and festivals impart color and cheerfulness to life of the Indians. Some festivals and fasts are specific protocols of religion which aims towards communication with the Almighty. The vivacity of the people is reflected in the colorful liveliness of the fairs and festivals. Processions, prayers, new attires, dance, music etc. are essentials related to any of such celebration. The Indian calendar is marked by superfluity of such big and small occasions. Some festivals are mainly of religious nature, and others are related more to, change of season and harvesting. They have a retentive past and many have gone through major alterations. Though, the fervor for some of the festivals also seems to be disappearing, yet they are capable of bringing about a change in the lifestyle of the people.
The Procession of All Saints in Goa is one of the most popular festivals in the state of Goa. A huge number of people take part in this festival.
Time for celebrating the Procession of All Saints
The Procession of All Saints in Goa starts every year in the month of March from the Church of St Andrew in Old Goa. Surely there can be no better time to plan your trip to Goa. It gives you the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a religious festival and fair and also be witness to the extravagant carnival.
Description of the Procession of All Saints in Goa
Goa is the only place outside Rome where such a procession is held. The procession attracts thousands of people from neighboring villages around Goa Velha. Local devotees carry life size statues of 31 saints on their shoulders on the fifth Monday of Lent and circulate it in a solemn procession around the whole village. Although a religious procession, a gaiety atmosphere can be seen in the evening because the main road is lined up with stalls selling snacks, sweets, and toys etc.
Shigmotsav Festival
Introduction to Shigmotsav Festival
A festival of the masses, Shigmotsav is celebrated in various parts of the country under different names and in different ways. In Goa likewise, the Shigmotsav or the Shigmo Festival is celebrated in a unique fashion which essentially spells fun and frolic. The Shimgmotsav bids farewell to winter and is celebrated on the full moon day in the Phalguna month(March), the last month of the Hindu Calendar.
Description of Shigmotsav Festival
In Goa, the festival of Shigmotsav starts with ‘Naman’, when the villagers offer a complete obeisance from the 9th moon day to the full moon day and abstain from any kind of non vegetarian food or intoxicants. It is from the 11th to the 15th moon day when the villagers dress themselves in colorful clothes and celebrate the different hues of spring by displaying multi colored cloths, torans, flags and red ‘Dwajas’. They beat their drums and play the flutes to add music to the whole colorful ambience. The 5th day is the ‘Rang-Panchami’ when everyone celebrates with ‘Gulal’ or red colored powder and throw the color at it each other to greet the coming of spring.
Time for celebrating Shigmotsav Festival
The time for celebrating the Shigmotsav Festival in Goa is during the month of March, which is the month of Falgun, the last month of the Hindu Calendar.
Christmas in Goa
Introduction to Christmas in Goa
Christmas is a festival that is celebrated all over the global with a lot of enthusiasm and joy, cutting across the barriers of religion. But there is a special charm in the Christmas in Goa that sets it apart from celebrations of Christmas anywhere else in India. Being predominated mainly by the Christians, Goa, during this time comes alive in a kaleidoscope of colors and revelry.
Description of Christmas in Goa
During Christmas in Goa, all the streets are lit up and the market places are all decorated with tinsel and buntings. There are Christmas trees shining and glittering in every corner of the streets and inside the houses. All the houses and churches are brightly lit up and decorated. Celebrations start from Christmas Eve when the beautiful harmony and melody of the Christmas carols fill up the pleasant ambiance of Goa and brings the festive mood. The wonderful smell of baking cakes and the songs of the church bells fills up the air that is already vibrant and colorful with the celebrations of the Goa Christmas. There are the parties,morning masses,prayers,the music, shopping,dance and other festivities that all add up to the exotic fiesta that is in sync with the beat of the sea, the sun and Christmas.
Time for celebrating Christmas in Goa
Christmas is celebrated all over the globe on the 25th of December and the celebrations of Christmas in Goa start from the Christmas Eve till the festive spirit lingers on, even after Christmas.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Introduction to the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
India is a land of countless festivals, in stride with the cycle of the seasons. These proceed with sowings and harvesting and around them have grown legends, most of them portraying the victory of good over evil. These fairs and festivals confer color and gaiety to life of the Indians. Some festivals and fasts are specific protocols of religion which aims towards communication with the Almighty. The Indian calendar is marked by superfluity of such big and small occasions. Some festivals are mainly of religious nature, and others are related more to, change of season and harvesting. They have a retentive past and many have gone through major alterations. The vivacity of the people is reflected in the colorful liveliness of the fairs and festivals. Processions, prayers, new attires, dance, music etc. are essentials related to any of such celebration. Though, the fervor for some of the festivals also seems to be disappearing, yet they are capable of bringing about a change in the lifestyle of the people.
Time for celebrating the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
The Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa begins each year from 21st November and continues up to 2nd January. Certainly there can be no better time to plan your trip to Goa. It gives you the superb opportunity to be a part of a religious festival and fair and also be witness to the extravagant carnival.
Description of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa
St. Francis Xavier, referred to as "Goencho Saib" (Lord of Goa) by Goans, is the Patron Saint of Goa. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is a feast held every year on the 3rd of December - the day he was buried - after nine days of prayer, called the Novena. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier hosts a variety of ceremonies to honor the Saint's death. It has gained more importance this year due to the 16th Solemn Exposition of holy remnants of the Saint from November 21 to January 2. The silver chest containing the relics of the Saint is kept at the Cathedral for the veneration and kissing of devotees since November 21.
Mardi Grass Festival
Introduction to Mardi Grass Festival
Lent is the period of time from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday which is a span of forty days. These forty days symbolize the forty days spent by Moses and Elijah roaming in the wild, the forty days and nights of continuous rain by God during Noah’s time, forty years of wandering by the Jews in search of land and the forty days of fasting by Jesus. There are a number of Pre Lenten festivals that are celebrated by the Christians all over the globe. The most famous of such festivals is the Mardi Grass (Mardi Gras) Festival, or Fat Tuesday. The Mardi Grass Festival is celebrated in Goa mainly three days before Lent commences.
Description of Mardi Grass Festival
The Mardi Gras Festival is celebrated in Goa with a lot of enthusiasm. There are guests arranged and carnivals that take place before the 40 day fasting take place.The Mardi Grass Festival take place comes together with a lot of music, good food, dance, colors and a lot of festivities.
Time for celebrating Mardi Grass Festival
The time for celebrating Mardi Grass is around the months of February and March every year.
Sao Joao Festival
Introduction to Sao Joao Festival
The Sao Joao Festival is celebrated throughout Goa with a lot of grandeur and ceremony. This festival of Sao Joao is dedicated to St.John, the Baptist and is marked by the feast of St.John. The Sao Joao Festival is mainly celebrated by the local youth of the villages who engage themselves in unlimited festivities. These include getting drunk, jumping inside the wells, consuming fruits etc which are all a part of the tradition of Sao Joao.
Description of Sao Joao Festival
The Sao Joao Festival presents a pretty and a colorful sight. On the event of the Festival of Sao Joao in Goa, the sons-in-law who are newly wed celebrate and rejoice at their mothers-in-law’s homes. The mother gifts the daughter with a basket full of fruits such as mangoes, jackfruits, pineapples etc which they take home. There is a colorful procession carried out by the youth of the village. Wearing a crown of leaves and carrying bottles of the popular Goanese drink Feni, they walk through villages till they arrive at a well of a pond where they take a plunge along with the sons in law.
Time for celebrating Sao Joao Festival
The time for celebrating the Soao Joao Festival throughout Goa is on the 24th of June.
Introduction to Bonderam Festival
The Bonderam Festival is celebrated in Goa in the memory of the protests that were made by the local villagers against the unjust and unreasonable system they adopted to settle land disputes and ownership issues of land. There is a history behind the Bonderam Festival. There were often some disputes and fights between the villagers on the Divar Island over the ownership of lands. Thus the Portuguese put up flags to mark the lines due to which the villagers were unable to capture the lands of the nearby villages. Thus they protested against this system.
Description of Bonderam Festival
Divar Island, the charming and quiet island in Goa comes alive with the festive spirit during the Bonderam Festival. There is a carnival ambience that is created with the melody of the music reaching even the mainland of Old Goa. Flocks of people come to take part in the carnival and rejoice in the celebrations of the Festival of Bonderam in Goa.There is a float for each section of the villages, that are decorated in colors and colorfully clad youngsters who take part in the parade, presenting a pretty picture. People engage in mock fights as a parody of the past, which is remembered with a “fotash’ fight that is a toy weapon of bamboo stems, while berries are used as missiles to knock down the aberrant flags.
Time for celebrating Bonderam Festival
The Bonderam Festival or the feast of Bonderam is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of August each year. The venue for celebrating the Bonderam Festival is at Divar Island, which is 12 kilometers from Panjim, the capital of Goa.
Feast of Three Kings
Introduction to Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of Three Kings in Goa is celebrated as an ode to the ‘Our Lady of The Mount’, a statue of Virgin Mary with infant Jesus in her hand, considered to be the protector of the people. On this day, the Lady of the Mount is adorned with jewelry and people from all over climb up to her to seek her blessings. The Festival of the Three Kings is celebrated after 12 days of Christmas to commemorate the visit of the three wise men to infant Jesus. The legend says that the boulder on the nearby hills still bears the footprints of Virgin Mary and the baby, where she supposedly rested before reaching the Hill of Remedies. Many state that the site of the Chapel of Remedios which stands there now was once a Hindu Temple site. Every year during this time, there are hundreds of Christian as well as Hindu devotees who make the annual pilgrimage to the Mount to offer prayers to Madonna, with candles, flowers and incense.
Description of Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of Three Kings Festival continues for 10 days. During this time, there is continuous dance, music and partying that keeps the spirit of Goa high. During the nine days of continuous revelry, the devotees come to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount to offer prayers and seek her blessings. The last day of the festival is celebrated in an unique fashion when three small boys aged between 8 and 10 are dressed up as the three Kings who brought gifts for infant Jesus. These boys, chosen from the local villages dress themselves up and make preparations for the grand event when they become the king for a day. The boys arrive to the chapel to offer wealth to the lady of the Mount and each of them take a different path and is accompanies by a jovial crowd. After the end of the rituals, there is a grand fete and fair organized where one can buy a wide variety of things, such as copper, brassware, furniture, clothes, toys , trinkets, bangles and spices.
Time for celebrating Feast of Three Kings
The Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated on the 6th of January while the celebrations start from as early as 9 days before that.
Goa Carnival
Introduction to Goa Carnival
The most awaited of all festivals in Goa, the Goa Carnival is the ultimate time for enjoyment and merrymaking in Goa. Though essentially a Christian Festival, the colors of the festivals sees no religion and all the people living in Goa as well as the visitors traveling through this wonderful place get addicted to its extravaganza. Since the time when the Goa carnival was initiated by the Portuguese, this carnival in Goa has reached universal dimension and has been celebrated till today with no splendor and magnetism lost over the years.
Description of Goa Carnival
Goa Carnival spells pure entertainment. From morning till dawn breaks the next day, there is dance, music, merry making, and drinking, eating and pure revelry. The carnival takes place on all streets and corners of Goa and brings together all who blend with the festivities and ceremonies. The Goa carnival is unique and is not celebrated anywhere else in India. Though at the time when the carnival of Goa was started, there were only limited participants, but over the years, after its revival, the barriers have broken and the zeal of the carnival has crossed all boundaries and is enjoyed by all. The Goa Government and the Municipal Councils also participate in this 3 day extravaganza along with the famous colorful precession of King Memo which attracts more and more people to Goa during the Goa Festival time.
Time for celebrating Goa carnival
The usual time for celebrating the Goa Carnival is during February, for three days and three nights.
Procession of All Saints
Introduction to the Procession of All Saints in Goa
India is a land of innumerable festivals, in tread with the cycle of the seasons. These proceed with sowings and harvesting and around them have grown legends, most of them portraying the victory of good over evil. These fairs and festivals impart color and cheerfulness to life of the Indians. Some festivals and fasts are specific protocols of religion which aims towards communication with the Almighty. The vivacity of the people is reflected in the colorful liveliness of the fairs and festivals. Processions, prayers, new attires, dance, music etc. are essentials related to any of such celebration. The Indian calendar is marked by superfluity of such big and small occasions. Some festivals are mainly of religious nature, and others are related more to, change of season and harvesting. They have a retentive past and many have gone through major alterations. Though, the fervor for some of the festivals also seems to be disappearing, yet they are capable of bringing about a change in the lifestyle of the people.
The Procession of All Saints in Goa is one of the most popular festivals in the state of Goa. A huge number of people take part in this festival.
Time for celebrating the Procession of All Saints
The Procession of All Saints in Goa starts every year in the month of March from the Church of St Andrew in Old Goa. Surely there can be no better time to plan your trip to Goa. It gives you the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a religious festival and fair and also be witness to the extravagant carnival.
Description of the Procession of All Saints in Goa
Goa is the only place outside Rome where such a procession is held. The procession attracts thousands of people from neighboring villages around Goa Velha. Local devotees carry life size statues of 31 saints on their shoulders on the fifth Monday of Lent and circulate it in a solemn procession around the whole village. Although a religious procession, a gaiety atmosphere can be seen in the evening because the main road is lined up with stalls selling snacks, sweets, and toys etc.
Shigmotsav Festival
Introduction to Shigmotsav Festival
A festival of the masses, Shigmotsav is celebrated in various parts of the country under different names and in different ways. In Goa likewise, the Shigmotsav or the Shigmo Festival is celebrated in a unique fashion which essentially spells fun and frolic. The Shimgmotsav bids farewell to winter and is celebrated on the full moon day in the Phalguna month(March), the last month of the Hindu Calendar.
Description of Shigmotsav Festival
In Goa, the festival of Shigmotsav starts with ‘Naman’, when the villagers offer a complete obeisance from the 9th moon day to the full moon day and abstain from any kind of non vegetarian food or intoxicants. It is from the 11th to the 15th moon day when the villagers dress themselves in colorful clothes and celebrate the different hues of spring by displaying multi colored cloths, torans, flags and red ‘Dwajas’. They beat their drums and play the flutes to add music to the whole colorful ambience. The 5th day is the ‘Rang-Panchami’ when everyone celebrates with ‘Gulal’ or red colored powder and throw the color at it each other to greet the coming of spring.
Time for celebrating Shigmotsav Festival
The time for celebrating the Shigmotsav Festival in Goa is during the month of March, which is the month of Falgun, the last month of the Hindu Calendar.
Christmas in Goa
Introduction to Christmas in Goa
Christmas is a festival that is celebrated all over the global with a lot of enthusiasm and joy, cutting across the barriers of religion. But there is a special charm in the Christmas in Goa that sets it apart from celebrations of Christmas anywhere else in India. Being predominated mainly by the Christians, Goa, during this time comes alive in a kaleidoscope of colors and revelry.
Description of Christmas in Goa
During Christmas in Goa, all the streets are lit up and the market places are all decorated with tinsel and buntings. There are Christmas trees shining and glittering in every corner of the streets and inside the houses. All the houses and churches are brightly lit up and decorated. Celebrations start from Christmas Eve when the beautiful harmony and melody of the Christmas carols fill up the pleasant ambiance of Goa and brings the festive mood. The wonderful smell of baking cakes and the songs of the church bells fills up the air that is already vibrant and colorful with the celebrations of the Goa Christmas. There are the parties,morning masses,prayers,the music, shopping,dance and other festivities that all add up to the exotic fiesta that is in sync with the beat of the sea, the sun and Christmas.
Time for celebrating Christmas in Goa
Christmas is celebrated all over the globe on the 25th of December and the celebrations of Christmas in Goa start from the Christmas Eve till the festive spirit lingers on, even after Christmas.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Introduction to the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
India is a land of countless festivals, in stride with the cycle of the seasons. These proceed with sowings and harvesting and around them have grown legends, most of them portraying the victory of good over evil. These fairs and festivals confer color and gaiety to life of the Indians. Some festivals and fasts are specific protocols of religion which aims towards communication with the Almighty. The Indian calendar is marked by superfluity of such big and small occasions. Some festivals are mainly of religious nature, and others are related more to, change of season and harvesting. They have a retentive past and many have gone through major alterations. The vivacity of the people is reflected in the colorful liveliness of the fairs and festivals. Processions, prayers, new attires, dance, music etc. are essentials related to any of such celebration. Though, the fervor for some of the festivals also seems to be disappearing, yet they are capable of bringing about a change in the lifestyle of the people.
Time for celebrating the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
The Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa begins each year from 21st November and continues up to 2nd January. Certainly there can be no better time to plan your trip to Goa. It gives you the superb opportunity to be a part of a religious festival and fair and also be witness to the extravagant carnival.
Description of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa
St. Francis Xavier, referred to as "Goencho Saib" (Lord of Goa) by Goans, is the Patron Saint of Goa. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is a feast held every year on the 3rd of December - the day he was buried - after nine days of prayer, called the Novena. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier hosts a variety of ceremonies to honor the Saint's death. It has gained more importance this year due to the 16th Solemn Exposition of holy remnants of the Saint from November 21 to January 2. The silver chest containing the relics of the Saint is kept at the Cathedral for the veneration and kissing of devotees since November 21.
Mardi Grass Festival
Introduction to Mardi Grass Festival
Lent is the period of time from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday which is a span of forty days. These forty days symbolize the forty days spent by Moses and Elijah roaming in the wild, the forty days and nights of continuous rain by God during Noah’s time, forty years of wandering by the Jews in search of land and the forty days of fasting by Jesus. There are a number of Pre Lenten festivals that are celebrated by the Christians all over the globe. The most famous of such festivals is the Mardi Grass (Mardi Gras) Festival, or Fat Tuesday. The Mardi Grass Festival is celebrated in Goa mainly three days before Lent commences.
Description of Mardi Grass Festival
The Mardi Gras Festival is celebrated in Goa with a lot of enthusiasm. There are guests arranged and carnivals that take place before the 40 day fasting take place.The Mardi Grass Festival take place comes together with a lot of music, good food, dance, colors and a lot of festivities.
Time for celebrating Mardi Grass Festival
The time for celebrating Mardi Grass is around the months of February and March every year.
Sao Joao Festival
Introduction to Sao Joao Festival
The Sao Joao Festival is celebrated throughout Goa with a lot of grandeur and ceremony. This festival of Sao Joao is dedicated to St.John, the Baptist and is marked by the feast of St.John. The Sao Joao Festival is mainly celebrated by the local youth of the villages who engage themselves in unlimited festivities. These include getting drunk, jumping inside the wells, consuming fruits etc which are all a part of the tradition of Sao Joao.
Description of Sao Joao Festival
The Sao Joao Festival presents a pretty and a colorful sight. On the event of the Festival of Sao Joao in Goa, the sons-in-law who are newly wed celebrate and rejoice at their mothers-in-law’s homes. The mother gifts the daughter with a basket full of fruits such as mangoes, jackfruits, pineapples etc which they take home. There is a colorful procession carried out by the youth of the village. Wearing a crown of leaves and carrying bottles of the popular Goanese drink Feni, they walk through villages till they arrive at a well of a pond where they take a plunge along with the sons in law.
Time for celebrating Sao Joao Festival
The time for celebrating the Soao Joao Festival throughout Goa is on the 24th of June.
