Location:
Divar Island, Goa
Highlights: Colorful tableaux, carnival like atmosphere
Time of Celebration: Fourth Saturday of August
The Bonderam festival of Goa is celebrated on the Divar Island. This
quiet little island is located at a distance of 12 kilometers from
Panaji. The celebration of this festival has a unique history behind it.
It is said that many years back, the villagers resented the rules that
were adopted for settling disputes regarding the land issues. The
Portuguese then set up flags to mark areas where the villagers were
unable to take over the lands of the nearby villages. The villagers
protested against this system by knocking down all the flags. The
Bonderam festival is celebrated in the memory of those protests.
Every year in August, this small island becomes alive with bubbling
activity of the Bonderam festival. The people residing here come
together to celebrate this festival and a carnival like atmosphere is
created here. Colorful tableaux are created by the people and a massive
parade takes place. Every small community or a group of people come
together to celebrate Bonderam festival in Goa. Do not miss to visit
this place if you happen to be here during August.
There is elaborate feasting during the Bonderam festival and every
household is decorated thus presenting a scenic and colorful picture.
The villagers engage in a mock fight that represents the knocking down
of the flags during the time of the Portuguese. Toy weapons made of
bamboo stems are used for fighting and wild berries are used as missiles
that are aimed at the rival group. All this is taken in good spirit and
all the people come together after the mock fight to eat and drink
merrily.
