Carnival in Goa, also called "Carnaval", "Intruz", "Entrado", or (colloquially) "''Viva Carnival''" refers to the festival of

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

, or

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

, in the Indian state of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

. Though significantly smaller than the well-known

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or the Portuguese Carnival of Madeira, the Goa Carnival is the largest in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and one of the few traditional celebrations of the Western Christian holiday in Asia. The current version of the Goa Carnival was modelled after the Rio Carnival by a local musician named Timoteo Fernandes and imposed in 1965 to attract tourists. It has since turned into a major tourist attraction for the small state.

Origin

While the roots of the Carnival in Goa date back to the introduction of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

traditions during the Portuguese conquest of Goa, the festival itself fell into obscurity during the later days of colonialism, as Portugal's authoritarian regime known and is celebrated on the same day as Portugal Estado Novo limited freedom of assembly and press. After the end of Portuguese rule, the Brazilian version of the festival was imposed by Timoteo Fernandes in 1965, a Goan musician who modeled it after the famed Rio Carnival. This was done to attract more tourism. Today, the urban parade includes floats from local villages, commercial entities, and cultural groups. It is still organised in a very traditional manner, including by the staging of streetside local plays, in the coastal ''

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

'' of Salcete. According to the

Government of Goa The Government of Goa is a state government created by the Constitution of India and has executive, legislative and judicial authority of the state of Goa. It is headquartered in Panaji, the capital city of Goa. History The governor's role is ...

's Department of Tourism, the carnival is "Goa's most famous festival and has been celebrated since the 18th century." The Carnival usually starts off on Fat Saturday (known as ) and concludes on Fat Tuesday (known as Shrove Tuesday), just before

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

and the first day of the Catholic season of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. In

Panjim Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

, the capital of Goa, the festival is complemented by Grape Escapade, a local wine festival, and a dance at Samba Square in the centrally-located Garden of Garcia da Orta. According to local tradition, during Carnival Goa is taken over by King Momo, usually a local resident who presides over the festival during the four-day span. King Momo traditionally proclaims the Konkani message (English: “Eat, drink and make merry”). In 2021 the King Momo for the Goa Carnival was Mr. Sixtus Eric Dias from Candolim.

Parade

The parade usually begins on Fat Saturday evening with a procession headed by King Momo. In 2021 the King Momo for the Goa Carnival was Mr. Sixtus Eric Dias from Candolim. Balloons, horse-drawn carriages, decorated bullock carts and elaborate floats are the highlights of the parade. The festivities during Goa Carnival include dancing troupes, revelers wearing masks and costumes, live music, sports competitions, floats and parades, and food and drinking.

Dates

In 2022, the festival was celebrated from 26 February – 1 March. In the urban areas, individual float parades were held in the Goan cities and towns of

, Margao,

Vasco Vasco may refer to: * Basque language, called ''vasco'' in Spanish * ''Vasco'' (album), a two-part EP by Ricardo Villalobos * Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer * Vasco da Gama, Goa, a city in India, often called simply Vasco * Club de Regatas Va ...

and Mapusa.

References

{{reflist

External links

Donna Noronha's Viva Carnival (link via JazzGoa)
Festivals in Goa Carnivals in India

Origin

Parade

Dates

See also

References

External links