Goa’s villages are home to some interesting festivals and rituals
and one such event is the Topshyo Gulalotsav that is held at Shree Shantadurga
Temple, Fatorpa. ‘Topshyo’ are the wooden sticks that are distributed to the
devotees; the men then jump though a wall of fire made by burning hay, a ritual
that is believed to mark the end of past differences and the beginning of
something new and positive, identical to the legendary Holi. The procession of
the goddess in a palanquin is taken out with umbrellas and the devotees are
seen playing with gulaal.
Trial by fire
