TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Sushila Sawant Mendes
Scenes of celebrations of festivals carry a message that “Life is life with others…It is life from, for and with one another. Human life is always lived in communities. The Vedic philosophy of Vasudaiva Kutbamkam says Bartendu Sood, transcends man made boundaries of caste, origin, religion, race and geographical divisions.
March is the month of colour and celebrations of spring. In Goa we celebrate Holi, Rangapanchami and Shigmotsav. It is also the month aof fasting and penance for the Christians and Muslims. From Ash Wednesday on February 21 began the 40 days of Lent. Ramdan lasts for 29/30 days depending on the sighting of the moon, this year in India it began on the evening of March 11.
March festivities in Goa begin with the Kelyanchim jatra or the banana jatra. A large number of banana bunches are offered by devotees, tied to the temporary canopy around the Babreshwar temple at Calangute. Goa also celebrates another Kelyanche fest on 18 December, dedicated to Our lady of Guadalupe in Curtorim.
On the night of March 5th the villagers of Dongrim, Tiswadi participate in the annual traditional Intruz festival. After Dongrim, Sancoale also celebrated Shigmo in the name of Intruz. There were a series of processions, dances and music. Shigmo is celebrated in and around the temple precincts of Shantadurga Laxmi Narasimha Sankhalyo Sansthan at Sancoale.
Mahashivratri, marks the 14th day of Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar (this year on March 8). Lord Shiva is believed to have married Goddess Parvati on the night of Mahashivratri and hence this night is in honour of Shiva and Shakti (coincided with the International Women’s Day). Offerings of bhel patra on the Shiva Linga at the Taad Maad Shrine in St. Inez, Panaji and Lord Shankar Temple in Taleigao are seen in Goa besides celebrations in the village temples.
Shigmo festival has its roots in the Hindu festival of Holi. Shigmo is a blend of cultural, religious, and social celebrations. This year, the festival was celebrated from March 26 to April 8, 2024 and the government sponsored Shigmotsav in different cities and villages of Goa like Calangute, Sanquelim, Bicholim, Panaji, Porvorim, Pernem, Canacona, Vasco, Shiroda, Curchorem, Quepem, Dharbandora, Margao, Mapusa, Sanguem, Cuncolim & Valpoi. The Goan Shigmo festival features elements like ghudis, lalkhi, taranga, and bondera.
‘Shigmotsav’ was celebrated with colourful parades, traditional folk dances with elaborate costumes. Shigmo is a time of joy and community spirit and is not just limited to floats but also features folk performances including Romtamel, Samayi, Ghodemodni and Fugdi, Veerbhadra dance, Dhangar dance, Goff and Morulo to the rhythm of the dhol, tashe and Kasale. Most tableaus are based on mythological scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha with scenes of the Gods fighting the demons, made effective with light and sound effects.
Shigmo rituals always begin in Mardol, Ponda with paying ‘naman’ (sacred rules of respect followed by a group) to Goddess Mahalasa Narayani on March 23 evening. On Sunday, March 24, a large crowd of devotees thronged Mardol to witness the Chaturdas celebration with Romtamel groups from local villages. The same day was also venerated as Palm Sunday by all the Churches of Goa. Tender palm fronds are blessed by the priest and each family takes one to keep on their holy altar.
On March 18 was the Penitential Procession of saints (Santanchem Pursanv) at St.Andrew’s Church, Goa Velha. A day before the procession this year 10 women of the 40 confrades (lay volunteers promoting special works of Christian piety were freshly inducted keeping abreast with the theme of women’s empowerment this year. Devotees seek blessings while moving under a statue.
Om Friday March 22, Magarichi Pooja was done by the farmers in Adulshe village, Borim on the Zuari bank. According to village lore, a crocodile prevented saline water ingress into the fields during a bandh breach, so farmers honour a clay crocodile. This shows harmonious existence between humans and animals. On the same day members of the tribal Velip community participated in a three day traditional Tonnyacho Khell a Barcem, Quepem.
On March 24, night was Sheni Uzo, a unique and ancestral village ritual in Molcornem, Quepem. Festivities are held around the Mallikarjun Temple. Men are bathed in the sparkling embers of fire lit on dried cow dung cakes (sheni’s). Arecanut tree trunks from the plantation of select families are chosen every year and they are carried around the temple by men who have observed a strict vegetarian diet almost eight days. Later they climb the same tree trunks, while the shenvi is flung on their backs and they endure the sparks.
The Gade festival was held in Sarvan Bicholim. The selection of gade’s is done following a ritual a few months before the festival. This year 45 gade’s were wore a white loin cloth with a black belt and run barefoot through the forest, chasing a flame, accepted as a guiding light by the Devchar or rakandar, the protector spirit of the village. They even run in the woods in the middle of the night and people come to witness the play of hide and seek of the flame.
The fifth day, known as Rang Panchmi, features extensive use of traditional red powder called Gulal. Processions and Gulal sprinkling in temple areas, mark these joyous celebration. From March 27 beginning with the worship of the ‘nal’ the Madganvkars connection to Lord Dambab resurfaces each year. On the 28th, the coconut was taken in a procession to the Damodar Sansthan at Zambaulim. Thereafter various plays are staged every night. April 2 is “Gulal”, where gulal is offered to the idol of Lord Damodar. Margao is seen with many men with gulal all over their bodies.
The Chorotsav was held on March 30, in the green village of Caranzol of Sattari taluka. Eight villagers are buried in the ground, four are buried till their neck and the others have their heads buried, while their torso and hands with swords are visible. The oral narrative is that centuries ago, four men with two children from another village were passing through this village when the villages mistook them for thieves and killed them. As a form of repentance, the villagers remember them with the performance of this ritual very year. On March 25, a similar ritual took place in the Zarme village, situated on the foothills of the Vagheri mountain peak also in Sattari.
The Sotreo festival in Cuncolim has just ended on April 1, with the palanquin of Shantadurga taken from Fatorpa to Cuncolim and back. Devotees offer coconut, flowers, agarbhattis and the catholics also participate and dance with the sotreos, showcasing the syncretism of cultures in Goa.
Shigmo is a testimony to the spirit of harmony and unity that is an integral part of the Goan way of life. It is deeply rooted in our heritage and it maintains a distinct identity despite centuries of Portuguese colonial rule. The festival's focus on Hindu mythology, traditional dances, and folklore reflects pre-colonial customs and beliefs. The city fest of parades however overshadows the rich heritage of rural Goa. The people’s Shigmo lies in the villages.
(The Author is a Professor in History & Best College Teacher Awardee)
