GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Navaratri or the nine nights festival associated with Lord Rama’s defeat of Ravana, demon-king of Lanka, culminates in the grand festival of Dussehra. Dussehra is celebrated by devotees of the Mother Goddess as her festival. The Sri Bhagavati Temple in Pernem has a fortnight’s festivities on the occasion. Special celebrations for Navaratra Utsav are held at Shantadurga, Nagueshi, Mahalakshmi and Ramnath Temples at Ponda and at Kalika Devi Temples in Kasarpal. The Dhangar Dance is a dance of worship performed during this festival.
The Kirtan Mahotsasv or religious music festival takes place at Quepem in September and is an all-night celebration.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Ganesh Chaturthi is the Birthday of Lord Ganesh, the most important deity in the Konkan, and is celebrated all over Goa. Thousands return to Goa for this festival, which is associated with a good harvest.

Novidade: In each village, the first offering is made to the church and the paddy specially blessed. No farmer, whether Hindu or Christian, will harvest his rice crop before it is offered in a ceremony called ‘Novidade’ in which the parish priest himself harvests a sheaf of rice and returns with it to the Church. Local people accompany him with music, fire-works and jubilation. It is a true feast day for all. Women folk of Goa’s earliest tribal settlers perform a dance called Bhandup in the second half of the month.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Gokul Ashtami or Janamashtami is the Birthday of Lord Krishna. This marks the beginning of Goa’s harvest festival. At Narve village in Bicholim, people gather for pilgrimage from far and wide.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Mirg is on 6th June. It is the start of the monsoon season. The Christian Mirg is one day earlier. If the rains fail, prayers are offered to the Catholic saints born this month – St. Anthony, St. John the Baptist and St. Peter and St. Paul. In Goa there is a happy mingling of festivals and feast days for the common good of all.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Shigmotsav or Shigmo is a grand five-day festival of colors, celebrated distinctively in the villages, corresponding with Holi or Spring Festival. Held for one-week up to the full-moon day in March, Shigmo is universally celebrated in Goa, but especially at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco-da-Gama and Margao.

Ghodemodni or parade of the horse riders is a part of Shigmo and is found in Fatorpa and Bicholim. Hypnotic and rhythmic music of drums and shistles accompany the martial dance, which parades down the main street, imitating horses and their riders.

Rombat takes place on the second and third day of Shigmo. It is a procession of men in traditional dress carrying banners and umbrellas, dancing to the music of drums. Young boys wave green twigs, signifying the arrival of spring.

Drama Festivals form an important part of Shigmo with most villages staging plays during the festival week.

Holi is celebrated as Gulal or Rangapanchami at Sri Damodar Temple in Zambaulin.

The three-day festival of Gade at Mahadev Bhumika temple attracts huge crowds.

Kalas Utsav is celebrated on a major scale every alternate year at Sri Morjaee Temple in Pernem. Visitors from Maharashtra and Karnataka attend the seven-day festivities, which are socio-religious occasions.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

This is homecoming season for Many Goans settled away from Goa. It is also the fruit season and Feni-making season. A distinctive Goan aperitif, Feni comes from cashew apples. In addition it is toddy-tapping season.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Ram Navami or the birthday of Lord Rama is celebrated at Ramnath Temple.

Chaitra Purnima is celebrated at Sri Mahalakshmi Temple at Panaji, and during the nine days preceding the full moon, at Sri Vithal Temple in Sanquelim. It is also widely celebrated at Nagueshi, Chandranath, Cudnem and Mashem in Canacona.

GOA FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Mahashivratri, a celebration in honor of Lord Shiva held at all the principal Siva temples, such as the Rudreshwar, Mangueshi, Nagueshi, Sri Mahadev – Bhumika and other temples. Ratha-Saptami festival takes place in February at the Mallikarjuna Temple. Maruti-Zatra at Sri Mahalakshmi Temple is important, as Mahalakshmi is the presiding deity of Panaji, Goa’s capital city. Mahalsa Jatra or Vijayarathotsav (Chariot Festival) is celebrated at Mahalsa Temple of Mohini in Ponda.

Foods in Goa

Food in Goa is a very serious matter and capitalizes on the range of food products available here. Goa boasts of many different cuisines - the Konkan, the Portuguese and the Bahamani Nawabi traditions. The fruits of the sea are used lavishly in Goan food different types of fish, prawns, mussels, oysters, crabs and many more.

Goan People

The people of Goa are very friendly and extremely happy-go-lucky. They are fond of the good things in life and are certainly not caught up in the rat race. Siesta is an important part of life in Goa with shops downing their shutters from one to four the most Goans retiring for the afternoon. Though the people of Goa are of different faiths and from different cultural backgrounds, they have come together to create the easygoing Goan culture with its emphasis on good living.

Golden Goa

For the Portuguese, she was Golden Goa, the epicenter of the Portuguese empire in Asia. The Portuguese were great church builders, their desire to spread their faith an important motivation. Little wonder then that modern day Goa is a quaint blend of the old and the new, of Portuguese and Indian elements. It is also a land of great variety - with its many churches and temples, Goa has a deeply religious ambience which contrasts sharply with the highly hedonistic spirit prevalent on her beaches. Hindu temples are as much a part of Goa as are Christian monuments. Large hotels and resorts co-exist with small hotels and paying guest accommodations; fancy restaurants with casual cafes

Beaches In Goa

Goa Tour includes the following:

Beaches In Goa

Arjuna Beach
Baga Beach
Bogmolo Beach
Calangute Beach
Dona Paula Beach

Cities of Goa

Arambol
Canacona
Marmagoa
Panjim
Vasco-da-Gama

Churches of Goa

Se Cathedral
St. Francis Of Assisi
The Carmelites
St. Cajetan
St. Francis Xavier

Goa Travel Guide

Cuisines
Dances
Forts of Goa

- Cabo Fort Goa
- Chapora Fort Goa
- Terekhol Fort Goa

Monuments of Goa

Climate

Festival of Goa

Bonderam Festival
Christmas
Feast Of Three Kings
Goa Carnival
Good Friday/ Easter

Goa Tour

Goa nestles in-between the hills of the Western Ghats on the East, Arabian Sea to the West, Maharashtra's coastline to the North and Karnataka's coastline to the South. A tiny territory of 3500sq km, it is breathtaking to gaze at the hills covered with cashew nut, jackfruit and mango grooves, its beautiful glittering rivers edged with miles of sun drenched beaches.

Goa is typically known for its long stretched golden beaches, swaying coconut palms and delicious seafood. This Portuguese colony offers you a lilting dreamy atmosphere not just because of its warm climate but for its feni, a locally brewed drink made from cashew or coconut complemented with a mando(love song) and the strains of guitar floating in the coastal breeze overlapped with the rhythmic sound of waves.

The Mediterranean atmosphere is further accentuated with the red-tiled huts of the fishermen, narrow streets and gentle unspoiled people. It's easy to slip into the warm and easy Goan ambience. Typically hybrid of the Latin influence and Indian color, Goa boasts of an unique culture so well woven in the Goan life style. Goa Tour will not only give you a glimpse of an unique culture with its characteristic music and dances but will help you unwind in its natural bounty and languid atmosphere.

Goa

Variously known as "Pearl of the Orient" and a "Tourist Paradise", the state of Goa is located on the western coast of India in the coastal belt known as Konkan.

The magnificent scenic beauty and the architectural splendours of its temples, churches and old houses have made Goa a firm favourite with travellers around the world.

But then, Goa is much more than just beaches and sea. It has a soul which goes deep into unique history, rich culture and some of the prettiest natural scenery that India has to offer.

Much of the real Goa is in its interiors, both inside its buildings and in the hinterland away from the coastal area.

Legends from Hindu mythology credit Lord Parshuram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu with the creation of Goa.

Over the centuries various dynasties have ruled Goa. Rashtrakutas, Kadambas, Silaharas, Chalukyas, Bahamani Muslims and most famously the Portuguese have been rulers of Goa.

Goa was liberated by the Indian Army from Portuguese colonisation on December 19, 1961 and became an Union Territory along with the enclaves of Daman and Diu. On May 30, 1987 Goa was conferred statehood and became the 25th state of the Indian Republic.

Having been the meeting point of races, religions and cultures of East and West over the centuries, Goa has a multi-hued and distinctive lifestyle quite different from the rest of India. Hindu and Catholic communities make up almost the entire population with minority representation of Muslims and other religions.

All the communities have mutual respect towards one another and their secular outlook has given Goa a long and an unbroken tradition of religious harmony. The warm and tolerant nature of the Goans allows them to celebrate and enjoy the festivals of various religions such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Christmas, Easter and Id with equal enthusiasm.

The state of Maharashtra borders Goa on the north, the state of Karnataka on the south and east. The vast expanse of the Arabian Sea on the west forms the magnificent coastline for which Goa is justly famous.

Terekhol (Tiracol), Mandovi, Zuari, Chapora, Sal and Talpona are the main rivers which weave their way throughout the state forming the inland waterways adding beauty and romance to the land besides being used to transport Goa's main export commodity of Iron and Manganese ore to Mormugao Harbour. Along the way to the coast these waterways form estuaries, creeks and bays breaking the sandy, palm-fringed coastline behind which lie the fishing villages among the coconut groves.

Panaji (Panjim) is the state capital located on the banks of the Mandovi river and Vasco, Margao, Mapusa and Ponda are the other major towns. Goa is serviced by an international/national airport located at Dabolim near Vasco. An intra-state and inter-state bus network also plays an important role in getting locals and visitors alike in and around Goa.

The vast green expanse of the Sahyadri mountain range ensures that Goa has an abundance of water. The sea and rivers abound in seafood - prawns, mackerels, sardines, crabs and lobsters are the most popular with the locals and the visitors.

Along with English which is widely spoken all over Goa, Konkani and Marathi are the state languages. The national language Hindi is also well understood in most areas around the state.

Goan cuisine is a blend of different influences the Goans had to endure during the centuries. The staple food in Goa is fish and rice, both among the Hindus and the Catholics. Unlike the Christian food the Hindu Goan food is not strongly influenced by the Portuguese cuisine.

Since the arrival of the Hippies in the sixties, Goa has been a major destination on the itinerary of international and domestic tourists.

The tourist season in Goa begins in late September and carries on through early March. The weather in these months is usually dry and pleasantly cool.

Then the weather gets fairly hot around May and by end of June, Goa receives the full blast of the Indian monsoon with sudden downpours and tropical thunderstorms. However it is also during the monsoon that Goa is probably at its most beautiful, with greenery sprouting all around.

Besides the natural beauty, the fabulous beaches and sunshine, travellers to Goa love the laid-back, peaceful, warm and friendly nature of the Goan people. After all, more than anywhere else on planet earth, this is a place where people really know how to relax.