It was completely a People’s Carnival like a family affair in which everybody participated. We participated in fancy dress competitions and won prizes. This means my husband, my children, and me. Dressed in various costumes, we visited people, and took part in competitions and dances. There were no sponsors, we used to spend from our own pockets and celebrate it. We once dressed as the sun & moon and won a trip to Amsterdam! The closest carnival to yesteryears was at Nostalgia in Raia. We look forward to this kind of People’s Carnival
— Meena Fernandes
It’s a great initiative of having this People’s Carnival on Sao Tome Street, which has a lot of heritage and culture to offer. We used to have everything at our level like the floats and a few parties. So this has been an encouragement from the CCP. It’s going to be a mega event with a stage, music and so many stalls around. It’s going to boost our spirit
— Antonieta Jorge, of Relax Inn Café in Sao Tome
We are very happy that this carnival is brought to our street; otherwise, it’s always held on the main road. The old and young are coming together to revive this carnival with traditional Goan food stalls. Looking forward to this carnival
— Ovita D’Souza, Sao Tome resident
This carnival has got a name in this locality and it’s called Carnival Do Povo – People’s Carnival. Food stalls will be set up by locals, which will be very traditional to our homes and Goa as well. We have been celebrating carnival here since my childhood and all the families in this neighbourhood have always been together. We celebrate at a drop of a hat and just need an excuse to celebrate. This carnival is different because it’s going to be an elaborate one. I feel happy and nostalgic as well because this year is going to be catching on from what happened years ago. Everybody will be coming together to celebrate this
— Natasha Abreu, Designer from Sao Tome
Carnival is no longer what it was during our times. It was informal and impromptu. I remember the first float that we had. We stitched our own costumes by putting together the old cloth material and modifying the entire look. Carnival has become a commercial event today. Now everything is sponsored by spending huge amounts of money. There is no spirit in it at all; it’s all commercialised now
— Laura Alvares
I remember the Carnaval of 1965, Mr. Fernandes, a musician, was the first King Momo. That time it was called Carnaval because that time CARN meant meat & VAL meant goodbye, as for 40 days during lent we cannot consume meat. The residents of Sao Tome, Fontainhas, etc, used to present floats – non-commercial and simple floats. We used to open the cupboards, wear old clothes and represent the people. We presented a float on the most refreshing fruit of Goa – watermelon. All the boys, girls, and children dressed up as watermelons. Caps were half watermelon scooped, shirts made of leaves and we bagged the first prize. It was wonderful
— Professor Julieta Andrade
I wanted to do a float, which is a representation of the Mermaid garden. My idea is to show the people how the Mermaid garden was in the earlier days with children playing around in total contrast to the miscreants using it now
— Cyrus Jorge
It is very important that we revive the old carnaval which is becoming commercialised now and is more organised for the tourists rather than the locals, so if there is a revival of the carnaval, it could be in the place where it all first began- St Sebastian in Fontainhas and in Sao Tome. I hope that the City corporation and the government, with all their support, the people’s festival which is being organised by the residents, for the residents, of the residents, and by the people of Goa. Looking forward to it
— Chris Menezes, Fontainhas resident
We have grown up in this carnival, I remember my childhood days when my grandfather used to make these cocoks and we used to have silly fights and fun while playing with Sao Tome residents. That’s the carnaval we grew up with. We didn’t have to be cautious about whom we were throwing colours or balloons filled with water. We were free-spirited, and by the end of the day we used to go to the public water tap in the evening, wash and go home. We participated in floats during our childhood days. One grandmother’s shoe float was displayed where we played with our musical instruments and then it was Clube Nacional Tango Tango… that was the real spirit that was my carnaval. Now it’s more commercialised
-Airito Andrade, Fontainhas resident
