Carnival in Goa: a celebration of joy and merriment
Carnival in Goa – If you think that joy and festivities in goa just ended with Christmas and a new year, you are wrong. Goa is a place where the reason for having enjoyment and fun never ends. Now that Christmas and New Year’s enthusiasm has finished, it is the time for the grand goa carnival, which is the only carnival celebration in India. Goa carnival is one of India’s only kinds of celebration that offers you deep insight into the beautiful and vibrant Goanese and Portuguese culture. Igniting the crowd’s joy and fun by dancing in the streets, colorful parades that take over the whole city with colorful floats adorned with masks. Feathers flocks of an exotic bird, music performance, and of course the finale of the carnival, the red and blackball, all lead to an unmatched experience. Goa carnival is a festival that draws thousands of tourists from all over India and the globe every year.
What/ when is the Goa carnival??
Goa carnival is celebrated during February or March before the beginning of Lent. It is a four-day-long celebration before the season of lent that marks fasting and abstinence from the meat for 40 days before ester and is considered a significant period for Christians.
This year’s goa carnival will begin on 13th February and will finish on 16th February of 2021. This carnival in Goa is a huge event, and the preparation of the grand celebration starts from December itself as the streets of Goa were decorated with lighting. You will feel the excitement for the festival building up with every passing week.
The history behind the Goa carnival
The tradition of the carnival dates back to some 500 years ago when the Portuguese ruled the place. The celebration is marked as Pre Mardi gas period that comes with a large consumption of food and drinks and a lot of partying before 40 days of prolonged abstinence from meat begins. Although earlier the event was more like the Portuguese tradition and was more like a catholic celebration; however, with time being, it has become the celebration of Goan culture with the mixed hints of Portuguese traditions.
How the celebration goes on
The grand celebration of carnival kicks with the massive procession on the fat Saturday headed by king momo and starts his party. The festival hits Goa’s streets as the king announces eating, drink, and merry.
This procession takes over by dancers, bands all dressed up as hawkers, fortune tellers, clowns, and older men dressed up in funny costumes. At this moment streets of Goa become alive as the bands, dancers, musicians, and various street performers came out on the road to entertain people. The colorful procession hit Goa’s four cities, Mapusa, Margao, Mapusa, and Panaji, with each city host the parade on a different night. The festival’s main highlight is khell/fell, a one-act folk play in which fella-getum is performed by the singer while walking around accompanied by the local musicians. Some sports competitions take place which is free for all. Nighttime is all about grand masquerade balls and non-stop partying, with people taking to the streets and drowning themselves in good food and drinks. It is the time where food vendors put out their best dishes for the people. The carnival comes to its end with the famous red and black dance.
Tips to attend goa carnival.
During the carnival period, resorts and guest houses are packed, and prices are high; hence, it is recommended to book your accommodation in advance. This time thousands of peoples from all over the world arrive in the state to attend the merriment.
What to do in Goa after the grand celebration
Goa is known as a pearl of the east. It is a state which is known for its vibrant culture and is worth exploring. Goa is famous for its beaches, beautiful sunsets and natural landscape, churches, tropical climates, and yoga retreats that have taken the state as a storm. So if you are heading to Goa for the grand celebration of goa carnival, you might want to relax your mind and body after the frantic party. Joining a yoga retreat in Goa would be the best idea as you will detox your body and mind after a lot of partying with a mix of traditional yoga along with cleansing and meditation practices. Goa’s AYM yoga school offers seven days of yoga retreats in Goa and a yoga ttc course if you want to stay in Goa for a longer duration after the festival.
Here you will learn yoga under the guidance of some of the best yoga teachers and savoring on sattvic food, which will help your mind and body after four days of merriment.
So all set to be part of the 2021 Goa carnival??
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