Goan village life has always been vibrant,
celebrating every moment with great
gaiety and pomp. Almost every
village, sometimes even a collection
of adjacent villages, comes together
to celebrate feasts and festivals.
However, there are certain village
festivals that bring the whole of Goa
to their doorstep, those that have been
celebrated for centuries, passed on from
generation to generation. Each festival,
unique in their method and purpose, unite
the state in tradition and celebration, right from the
northernmost tip to the southernmost.
As festivals are an integral part of the Goan way of life,
every little village has its own temple or church having
a special annual Zatra or feast. But what’s special is that
all communities come together to celebrate them in
complete harmony. These unique festivals are part of the
identity of the village; Bonderam springs Divar island to
mind while Sao Joao, despite being celebrated in different
villages, will always be associated with Siolim and its
traditional boat festival.
Now newer festivals like Pattoleanche Fest in
Socorro and Carmona Ekvottacho Dis are uniting village
communities with their unique celebrations. They are
reviving the old world charm of Goan cuisine, music and
the nostalgic lifestyle that our forefathers enjoyed sans
technological distractions.
Another important aspect of the festivals of Goa is
that it draws people from the cities of Goa back to their
roots. This month, the feast of St Anne will be celebrated
throughout Goa as Grandparents Day but only the
village of Santan, Curca will celebrate Touxanchem Fest.
Here, couples offer cucumbers in hopes of being blessed
with a child and those who receive this gift, return the
following year to offer their gratitude. Another festival,
Lairai Zatra, which takes place in Shirgao, has people
expressing their devotion by walking on hot ambers.
With a calendar full of events taking place in Goa, the
songs and chants of the past are thriving, along with the
folk dances that play an integral part of the festivities.
