Goa is a place where festivals are a way of life and celebrated around the year. Most of the celebrations are woven around religious occasions. Singing and dancing being a part of life, the Goans thrive on festivals. Some of the festivals that are celebrated with pomp are listed below.

The fourth Saturday of August every year is celebrated as The feast of Bonderam.
 
Christmas is celebrated in Goa, like elsewhere in the world on December 25.

Diwali is the festival of lights celebrated all cross India

Janamashtami is the Birthday of Lord Krishna. This marks the beginning of Goa’s harvest festival. A

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

Food & Cultural Festival Of Goa - This 5-day festival is planned to give special focus on Goa with reference to Seafood and is an annual feature

Ganesh Chaturthi is the Birthday of Lord Ganesh, the most important deity in the Konkan, and is celebrated all over Goa

Goa Carnival - a three day festival usually starts off on Sabado Gordo (Fat Saturday) and concludes on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) - the eve of Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the season of Lent. Lent is the period of fasting and penance in the Christian calendar and corresponding somewhat to the Mohammedan fast before Ramzan Id. Colorful processions and lavish floats parade the streets and singing, dancing and masked people mark the carnival celebration. It is a time for lots of fun and frolic and hotel bookings must be done in advance as the festival attracts thousands of tourists.

Good Friday/ Easter is a day of sincere reverence among Goan Catholics.
 
Sao Joao Festival - Sao Joao is the feast of St. John the Baptist observed all over Goa on 24th June.

Mahashivratri - a celebration in honor of Lord Shiva.

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.

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 Dhangar Dance is a dance of worship performed during this festival.

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. Rombat - a procession of men in traditional dress carrying banners and umbrellas, dancing to the music of drums takes place on the second and third day of Shigmo. Drama Festivals form an important part of Shigmo with most villages staging plays during the festival week.

www.journeymastersindia.com - India Tour Operators and Travel Agents - Come Share our World
Rani Rupmati’s pavillion at Mandu on the banks of the river Narmada
Inside the tomb of Salim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri
Tiger over a Sambar kill. Bandavgarh National Park
Best of India and NepalTravel across the HimalayasExperience the Pristine Beaches and Glorious SunshineInteresting rail Journeys across IndiaAyurveda and Traditional HealingPhotography Tours, Study Tours, Incentive Tours and ThemesSight Seeing DescriptionsTraveling with UsJourney Masters India HomeWildlife Tours in the Indian Sub-Continent

Special thanks to Karoki Lewis, Aditya Singh and Outlook for use of their photographs.
Sight designed and maintained by Plan Travel Network

Jama Masjid, Asia’s largest mosque, New Delhi