Goa Carnival - गोवा कार्निवल
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The exuberant Goa Carnival is an annual feature that is held in mid- February, just before Lent. The week-long event is a time for lively processions, floats, the strumming of guitars and graceful dances. Carnival in Goa is a non-stop 3-day festival of color, song and music, providing a healthy entertainment for all, young and old.
February heralds the carnival at Goa. For three days and nights, the legendary king Momo takes over the state and the streets come alive with colour. The week long event is a time of festivity.
The most awaited of all festivals in Goa, the Goa Carnival is the ultimate time for enjoyment and merrymaking in Goa. Though essentially a Christian Festival, the colours of the festivals sees no religion and all the people living in Goa as well as the visitors traveling through this wonderful place get addicted to its extravaganza. Since the time when the Goa carnival was initiated by the Portuguese, this carnival in Goa has reached universal dimension and has been celebrated till today with no splendor and magnetism lost over the years.
The Goa carnival is an annual event held in February. The streets of Goa come alive with colour for three days and nights just before Lent. Celebrated by the Christian population in Goa, the festival is an integral part of the Portuguese heritage of the state that was a dominion of Portugal till 1961. The carnival epitomizes fun-loving culture, characteristic to Goa. During these three days, Goa is gripped by the pulsating rhythm of guitars and the lilt of folk songs. The revelers in their colourful improvised fancy dresses, dance and sing in the streets, with King Momos, Lord of the Carnival, presiding over the scene.
Goa Carnival spells pure entertainment. From morning till dawn breaks the next day, there is dance, music, merry making, and drinking, eating and pure revelry. The carnival takes place on all streets and corners of Goa and brings together all who blend with the festivities and ceremonies. The Goa carnival is unique and is not celebrated anywhere else in India. Though at the time when the carnival of Goa was started, there were only limited participants, but over the years, after its revival, the barriers have broken and the zeal of the carnival has crossed all boundaries and is enjoyed by all. The Goa Government and the Municipal Councils also participate in this 3 day extravaganza along with the famous colorful precession of King Memo which attracts more and more people to Goa during the Goa Festival time.
Preparations for the Carnival starts as early as December and January. Boys and girls plan and design their fancy costumes for the occasion. They prepare packets and cartridges made of paper and stuffed with bran, husk or sawdust or plain powder to use in the mock battles.
The main function of the Carnival on the first day, i.e. Fat Saturday evening, starts with a mammoth procession of floats of a variegated pageant of colour and gaiety, headed by King Momo. In the three days of celebrations, cultural functions and competitions abound, and are judged by specially selected people. King Momo distributes the prizes to the winners.
The contestants wear colorful costumes and elaborate masks. In the fun-filled ambience, people smear colour on each other, instead of flour, eggs, fruit and water that were used in earlier times. 'Cocotes' meaning stuffed cartridges, used to be thrown in a spirit of mirthful mock battles by rival groups in the old days, which left the roads littered with coloured powder. The young would defend themselves with card board shields from the chaff filled bombs thrown by opposite groups. Crackers explode with gay abandon, with decorations galore, and coloured streamers being flown everywhere. A local troubadour or a group of masqueraders impersonate as hawkers, fortune tellers and women; children run wild, banging on drums in the form of tins, while the elder ones move out in funny costumes. The most important item of the Carnival celebrations was the play-cum-dance-song of 'Mussoll'.
Some clubs and hotels of the five-star variety hold dances during the Carnival days beginning with Sabado Gordo in Goa where revelers appear in gaudy costumes and masks and let their hair down in gay abandon, with booze and carousing galore. Mimicry and impersonations of local characters are enacted and it is all fun and frolic for every one. Carnival festivities go on in full swing and continue late into the night and morning of Wednesday, when the period of Lent, the spell of penance, begins with Ash Wednesday. This festival attract visitors from all over India and abroad.
February heralds the carnival at Goa. For three days and nights, the legendary king Momo takes over the state and the streets come alive with colour. The week long event is a time of festivity.
The most awaited of all festivals in Goa, the Goa Carnival is the ultimate time for enjoyment and merrymaking in Goa. Though essentially a Christian Festival, the colours of the festivals sees no religion and all the people living in Goa as well as the visitors traveling through this wonderful place get addicted to its extravaganza. Since the time when the Goa carnival was initiated by the Portuguese, this carnival in Goa has reached universal dimension and has been celebrated till today with no splendor and magnetism lost over the years.
The Goa carnival is an annual event held in February. The streets of Goa come alive with colour for three days and nights just before Lent. Celebrated by the Christian population in Goa, the festival is an integral part of the Portuguese heritage of the state that was a dominion of Portugal till 1961. The carnival epitomizes fun-loving culture, characteristic to Goa. During these three days, Goa is gripped by the pulsating rhythm of guitars and the lilt of folk songs. The revelers in their colourful improvised fancy dresses, dance and sing in the streets, with King Momos, Lord of the Carnival, presiding over the scene.
Goa Carnival spells pure entertainment. From morning till dawn breaks the next day, there is dance, music, merry making, and drinking, eating and pure revelry. The carnival takes place on all streets and corners of Goa and brings together all who blend with the festivities and ceremonies. The Goa carnival is unique and is not celebrated anywhere else in India. Though at the time when the carnival of Goa was started, there were only limited participants, but over the years, after its revival, the barriers have broken and the zeal of the carnival has crossed all boundaries and is enjoyed by all. The Goa Government and the Municipal Councils also participate in this 3 day extravaganza along with the famous colorful precession of King Memo which attracts more and more people to Goa during the Goa Festival time.
Preparations for the Carnival starts as early as December and January. Boys and girls plan and design their fancy costumes for the occasion. They prepare packets and cartridges made of paper and stuffed with bran, husk or sawdust or plain powder to use in the mock battles.
The main function of the Carnival on the first day, i.e. Fat Saturday evening, starts with a mammoth procession of floats of a variegated pageant of colour and gaiety, headed by King Momo. In the three days of celebrations, cultural functions and competitions abound, and are judged by specially selected people. King Momo distributes the prizes to the winners.
The contestants wear colorful costumes and elaborate masks. In the fun-filled ambience, people smear colour on each other, instead of flour, eggs, fruit and water that were used in earlier times. 'Cocotes' meaning stuffed cartridges, used to be thrown in a spirit of mirthful mock battles by rival groups in the old days, which left the roads littered with coloured powder. The young would defend themselves with card board shields from the chaff filled bombs thrown by opposite groups. Crackers explode with gay abandon, with decorations galore, and coloured streamers being flown everywhere. A local troubadour or a group of masqueraders impersonate as hawkers, fortune tellers and women; children run wild, banging on drums in the form of tins, while the elder ones move out in funny costumes. The most important item of the Carnival celebrations was the play-cum-dance-song of 'Mussoll'.
Some clubs and hotels of the five-star variety hold dances during the Carnival days beginning with Sabado Gordo in Goa where revelers appear in gaudy costumes and masks and let their hair down in gay abandon, with booze and carousing galore. Mimicry and impersonations of local characters are enacted and it is all fun and frolic for every one. Carnival festivities go on in full swing and continue late into the night and morning of Wednesday, when the period of Lent, the spell of penance, begins with Ash Wednesday. This festival attract visitors from all over India and abroad.
Time for Celebrating Festivals
The usual Time for Celebrating Festivals the Goa Carnival is during February, for three days and three nights.