Festivals in Goa

Festivals in Goa are refreshing experience for Goans and the visitors of Goa. Many events and festivals in Goa are celebrated with all the show. The list of popular festivals in Goa includes the New Year Celebrations in Goa, Christmas Celebrations in Goa, Monsoon Festival in Goa, Festival of Three Kings and many more are the world famous festivals in Goa.

  • Christmas
  • Diwali
  • Ganesh Chaturthi
  • Feast of St. Francis Xavier
  • Shigmo
  • Three Kings Feast
  • Sao Joao Festival
  • Carnival
  • New Year Eve in Goa

  1. Christmas

The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated as Christmas. People make a point to go and attend the mass during midnight.After the mass, Goans decorate their houses with the Christmas trees, stars, cribs along with amazing lights.Christmas is celebrated by eating sweets and giving gifts to their families and friends.

  1. Diwali

Another significant festival celebrated in Goa is Diwali. On this auspicious day, it is believed that Lord Krishna killed the demon Narkasur with its Sudarshan Chakra.

Hence the festival is celebrated with the burning the effigies of Narkasur. It is done at dawn. After that, Hindus in Goa light up their houses and eat “Poha”.

  1. Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over Goa. Birthday of god Ganesh is celebrated in August and in September all over the country.
It is the biggest Hindu festival celebrated in Goa also known as ‘Chovoth’.

  1. Feast of St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier was a loved saint who died on 3rd December. Hence every year people assemble in Old Goa to participate in the feast.

The amazing and famous church named Basilica of Bom Jesus still has preserved the body of Saint. Francis Xavier. The body is stored in a casket and is bought to sight of the people after every 10 years on the day of the feast.

This is one of the famous festivals in Goa.

  1. Shigmo

Shigmo is celebrated during the spring time and the celebrations extend upto 5 days. Many call the Shigmo Festival ad Shigmotsav. The festivities of Shigmo come along with the festival of Holi.

During Shigmo, the honor is paid to all the warriours to return their homes after defeating the invaders. During this festival people hold umbrellas and small sticks and enjoy dancing.

  1. Three Kings Feast

This is a feast which takes place when three boys of Goa play the role of going to see Jesus. They are actually taken by a small boy playing the kettle drum. To meet Jesus, the three kings ride on the back of the horse.

They pass through the Hills of Remedios and take part in High Mass. During this feast, people also worship the Lady of the Mount. People gain blessings from the goddess.

  1. Sao Joao Festival

Every year on 24th June Sao Joao is celebrated with much cheer. During this day, the Christain community of Goa plays an honor to St. John Baptist. Sao Joao Festival is one the famous festivals in Goa.

The festivities at Sao Joao festival includes many folk dances those are referred to as Sangodds. The people of this village t\mainly the youngsters make it a point of wearing leaves and the fruit laden crowns.

People even present fruits to their friends and in laws as a token of love.

  1. Carnival

The most famous of all the festivals in Goa is the Carnival. It is the epitome of all the celebrations in Goa. Carnival is celebrated for three days and three nights and is preceded by the month of Lent (February).

The festival brings alive each nook and corner of Goa. the Carnival festival was introduced in Goa by the Portuguese in the 18th Century.

This festival is that time of the year when the King Momo takes over the operations of all the events and the festivals. Carnival in Goa is the most fun-filled festival in Goa . it is meant to be a feast of food, music, dance, fun and drinks. All these things make carnival in Goa one of the most popular festivals in Goa.

The evenings are kept for the gala balls and the people those engage in partying on street throughout the night. The float parade in Panaji is led by King Momo who floats the especially decorated float declaring the initiation of eating, partying and drinking.

The highlights is the final day. On the final day the celebrations are concluded with the famous black and red dance which is held by the Clube Nacional in Panaji.

  1. New Year Eve in Goa

New Year stands for the party and party stands for Goa. There is no other place in the country that is livelier than Goa. Goa is indulged in the celebrations the whole night.

There is no limit for the level of craziness which the state can put during the celebrations of New Year. In spite of all the famous music festivals, Sunburn and Supersonic moved out of the state, Goa is not affected by it.

The celebrations are increased exponentially and other the regular party spots like Agonda, Palolem, Baga, Anjuna, Hill Top and all the other spots where people can party are filled with the celebrations.

The best part, of course, is the night of New Year when the whole party state stops their thumping Bass and Trance filled music just to count down with the clock to strike the midnight 12.