Jatra :The colourful festival jatra is celebrated in the month of January at Quepem. The festival honours local temple deities at the Shantadurga temple. Other such festivals are celebrated through the year at various temples in Ponda.
Carnival : The Goa Carnival at Panaji is usually celebrated in the month of
February and is the grandest festival of the state. It marks the
beginning of Lent. “King Mombo”, who personifies fun and frolic, orders
his subjects to forget their troubles, and lead a colourful parade through the streets. Three days and nights of non-stop celebrations follow.
Shigmotsav :
In the month of March a five-day Hindu
festival brings cheerfulness and colour among the people of Goa. The
celebration includes colourful street floats (in larger towns), folk
theatre, sword dances and lively spraying of colourful powder. It is the Goanese version of Holi.
All Saints Procession :In the month of April, at Goa Velha, Pilar, large crowds of devotees carry out procession from St, Andrew Church to the nearby village. This day is celebrated by Christians with much pomp and vigour.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier :On
3rd December every year the death anniversary of the patron saint of
Goa, St. Francis Xavier, is held at Old Goa. The feast is attended by
Catholic pilgrims from all over the world. It is preceded by novenas –
nine days of prayer.
Igitun Chalne :Igitun Chalne is one of the most distinctive and interesting festivals celebrated in Goa. It is held in Sirigao temple in Bicholim during the month of May. The significance of this festival lies in the fact that devotees of Goddess Lairaya walk across burning coal to prove their devotion.
Christmas : Christmas, the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ is celebrated by all Christians in Goa with great fervour and enthusiasm. People decorate
their houses, get Christmas trees, and make cribs with figures of baby
Jesus, Mother Mary, Joseph, the three wise men who come to visit the
baby and shepherd boys and their herds grazing around depicting the
scenes of Jesus's Birth in the Bible.
More details…
Other popular festivals celebrated in Goa include
Easter,
Ganesh Chaturthi and
New Year's Day.
To know more about other Indian festivals,
Click Here