It’s Carnival
time! The time to sway to the beats of the samba and enjoy four days of fun and fiesta! The festival
evokes feelings of nostalgia among locals as an event that brings people to the
streets, with the spirit of merriment in the air. With colours, music, and
dancing, the float parade steals the show during this festive period.
The state has been
raring to get into the festivities days before the actual day and all the
centres across Goa have been adorned with colourful buntings, banners, masks
and themed décor.
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During the vibrant
4-day Carnival, float parades will take place in major cities in Goa – Panjim
(March 2), Margao (March 3), Vasco, (March 4) and Mapusa (March 5).
There will also
be float parades in other towns,
with Ponda and Curchorem having theirs on March 4 and Morjim and Shiroda on
March 5, 2019.
After a successful
show along the new route last year, the float parade in the capital city will
continue to be held from Miramar to Dona Paula. With the route and roads
leading to it, all decked up for another season of fun, flavour and fiesta,
Carnival will kick off today.
This year, William
Anes, 53, from Panjim, has been chosen to lead the Carnival Parades. King Momo
is a mythological figure, who is symbolic when it comes to carnival
celebrations and he will declare the decree of ‘Eat, Drink and Make Merry’
during his 4-day reign. The Carnival float parade will flag off at 4 pm , March
2, 2019, in Panjim.
The parade will
showcase diverse participants under various categories, displaying different
themes and messages.
The total prize money
for the float competitions has been pegged at Rs 54.40 lakh and infrastructure
costs to all centres at Rs 1.09 crore.
Adding
to the entertainment is a special Carnival song, which was released by Minister
for Tourism, Manohar Ajgaonkar. The song has been composed/mixed and mastered
by Mukesh Ghatwal, with lyrics by Roque Lazarus and Mukesh Ghatwal. Queeni
Fernandes and Ghatwal have sung the song.
