Goa is in a
celebration mood this week, with
a number of traditional events occurring simultaneously, like the Grape
Escapade, Samba Square Dance and the gala time of Goa – Goa Carnival 2019. The
Carnival comes alive this weekend on March 2, Saturday, with colourful floats,
music, art and dance. Looking back at the 52 years of the jamboree in Goa,
Timoteo Fernandes was the backbone of reviving the carnival in 1965 and has
spent 52 years in the Carnival Festival Committee. This year, he is the
President of the Committee.
Timoteo, now 82, recalls the history of carnival and his
association with it. Way back in the 1960s, Timoteo was part of a small amateur
group with two guitars, a banolin, violin, bongos and a bass box. “We only
performed for fun,” says Timoteo.
However, the then
president of Clube National, Vasco Alvares, encouraged the group for more
performances and often invited them to play for parties at his residence. In an
interesting incident, one day, Timoteo came across a magazine called the
Carnival of Rio de Janeiro. Hadn’t he picked up the magazine to have a glance,
Goa wouldn’t have witnessed the Carnival we so famously celebrate today.
“Taking a cue from
what I read in the magazine, it gave me an idea and inspiration to carry out a
jolly festival in Goa. I decided to call our carnival ‘King Momo’s Fun for the
Fat Saturday’.
In the old Christian
beliefs, reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods
before the ritual fasting of the lent season was referred to as a Fat Tuesday,
(Mardi Gras). However, Timoteo decided to make a Fat Saturday, hence we
normally see the carnival celebrated before the season of Lent.
Ultimately, Timoteo
stood up as the first King Momo in an amusing venture; he invited friends and
neighbours, hired a bullock-cart and stood on it dressed as fun King Momo. They
then went parading down the street with music, dance and fun, from the old
Patto Bridge till the Municipal Garden in Panjim. A lot of people were left in
awe and confusion on the site that had been witnessing, but once the Tourism
Department and Vasco Alvares understood the merry-making idea, they formed a
committee.
Immediately in the
next year, 1966, the carnival was reorganised, with more attractive features.
Since then, the tradition of carnival became a specialty of Goa, by constituting
a committee with the help of the Tourism Department and efforts by late Vasco
Alvares. Timoteo became one of the committee members, and is still the core for
the past 52 years.
Year by year, the
Carnival experienced new art and creativity. Every year, a new King Momo is
selected and Timoteo’s brothers, Lawrence, Tome and Bondo, have all been King Momos. In the year 1977, the Government of
Goa participated for the first time for the Republic Day Celebration in New
Delhi with a float VIVA CARNIVAL. Timoteo’s small attempt created a huge impact
for Goa’s celebratory factors. He was felicitated by Goa Tourism Development
Corporation in 2017 during the Golden jubilee Celebration of the Carnival King
Momo Parade in Goa.
