Shigmo Festival

Holi in Goa is celebrated as Shigmotsav, which is a festival of farewell to winter and welcome to spring celebrated with colour, songs and dances to the beat of drums. Float parades depicting various scenes of mythology are also held.

Shigmo in Goa is esentially a festival of the masses. It is so all over India, though it is celebrated under different names and in different ways in various parts of the country.

It is the festival of farewell to winter celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna(March), the last month of the Hindu calendar.

In Goa, which has always been land of temples, shigmo begins with Naman or collective obeisance of villagers from 9th moon day to full-moon day. During all these days, they are to 'shun' non-veg. food and all intoxicants.

From the 11th Moon day to the 15th moon day, various village groups clad in their most colorful dresses set out with festive mood with multi-colored cloths, torans, flags and column-like red spoted "Dwajas", beating drums and blowing flutes to gather at the village temples, and dance in the temple court yard singing various folk songs to the beat of the drums.

On the 5th day comes the real day of re-joicing. It is called "Rang Panchami" - it is practised differently at different places. The main function of the day, however, is the profuse use of 'Gulal' or red-powder. It's a symbol of rejoicing, when people throw it on each other as a sign of full-hearted greeting.