When:
February, before Easter
Where: Entire Goa
Duration: Three Days
Highlights: Street plays, songs, dances, parades, feasting and
merry making
One of the most colorful and popular festival of Goa is the Goa
Carnival. This three day extravaganza, of fun, frolic, amusement and
merry-making, takes place in the month of February. The Goa Carnival
festival is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. Though
essentially a Christian festival, all people of Goa, irrespective of
their faith and religion take part in this festival. The word Carnival
has been derived from the Latin word "Carnavale" which means
to throw away meat. The main highlight of Goan carnival is to have fun
by indulging in singing, dancing, feasting, etc. before the 40 day
abstinence period of Lent before Easter.
The history of the Goan carnival goes back to almost 500 years. It was
essentially introduced in Goa by the Portuguese. The trend of
celebrating the Carnival with hedonistic pleasures dates back to ancient
Rome and Greece. It came to be known to the Portuguese and Spanish
people with time and when the Portuguese established their colony in
Goa, they introduced the concept there. Since then, the carnival is
regular feature every year and a time when people all over Goa take part
in it with pleasure.
Just before Easter Sunday, all Goans celebrate the carnival as a
feasting and merry making time. The carnival is absolutely colorful and
lively and the whole of Goa comes alive with this festival. The entire
state is decorated with streamers and colorful ribbons and papers.
Throughout the state, many fun parades are organized and people
belonging to different communities and areas prepare their tableaus with
different representations and themes.
On the opening day of the carnival, King Momo presides over the
festival and "orders" his subjects to party and indulge in
merry making. The mornings are dominated with singing, feasting and
organizing street plays while the evenings are usually full of dancing,
balls, etc. on the wide open streets. With the increase in the number of
tourists to Goa, the carnival is gaining more and more popularity and is
visited by a number of tourists. In a nutshell, Goa Carnival is festival
that is dominated by enjoyment and merry making where people come
together and spread cheer and happiness.
History of Carnival
Carnival means a complete holiday dedicated to fun and enjoying as a
break from the daily routine and stress of the every-day life. The word
'carnival' is originated from a Latin word 'carnelevarium' meaning
'removing the flesh' or 'raising a gala storm'. More...
Origin of Goa Carnival
The funkiest fest of India, Goa Carnival is a three-day long festival.
King Momo introduced Goa Carnival just before the Lent season of the
Christian calendar. According to Christianity, Lent is the 40-day period
of fasting and penance before the Easter Sunday meant to purify one's
soul. More...
