christmas

Christmas

Although Christmas is the most popular festival which is celebrated all over the world on 25th of December every year. It is even celebrated in India but  not as much as it is celebrated In Goa in its traditional way. The Christians here start with Christmas preparations a month before with cleaning of the houses and surrounding making Christmas cribs in public places as well as in every christian house. 

Christmas Cribs at every junctions and corners of Goa during christmas

The celebration starts with previous day midnight mass at local churches after which at 12:00 midnight the cribs are opened for the display, greetings are exchanged houses are decorated with lights and Christmas trees. Goans celebrate Christmas in a very special way by preparing delicious sweets like 'Dodol' and 'Bibinca' which has now been even supplied all over the world. Every village comes together and celebrated Christmas by organizing 'khel' a traditional cultural programmers. the celebration goes on upto the 6th of january after which all the installations are removed and the feast of three kings is celebrated which signifies that the 3 Arabic kings had reached Bethlehem on this day.  

Diwali

Diwali

As we all know Diwali is celebrated all over the world by the Hindus, it is also called the festival of lights as it is celebrated by lighting oil lamps all over the surrounding and bursting crackers and lighting fireworks, as the significance of Diwali is to spread light of happiness and joy over the darkness of evil. It is also celebrated by worshiping Goddess laxmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity)

It is said that lord Ram returned to his kingdom Ayodhya on this day where his people welcomed him by lighting oil lamps all over the Ayodhya which was the first Diwali and since then it is celebrated to mark the significance of the same.

Traditional Earthen Oil lamps at Diwali

        But Goa has a different story to tell about its Diwali celebration, the story goes this way: Mother Earth had a child called 'Narkasur' from Vishnus 3rd incarnation 'Varaha' (wild boar) who turned out to be a demon and was a king of Assam where his people were fedup of his cruelty and torture. He was a egoistic demon who used to trouble women and treat them with humiliation. He meditated for hundreds of years to seek a boon of immorality from Brahma. Impressed Brahma although couldn't grant him the boon of immortality but asked him to ask for something else. As Narkasur considered women to be very low and powerless his ego made him ask a boon where he will not be killed by anyone else but only by human women, considering her powerless and cannot kill him anyways.

         It was later that the 8th incarnation of lord Vishnu i.e. Krishna had to make one of his 5 main consorts 'Satyabhama' to kill Narkasura.

 Making effigies of Narkasur Dance on the previous night of Diwali

Burning of the Narkasur effigies early morning of Diwali before the sunrise 

Therefore the effigies of narkasur are made in houses as well as in public where competitions are held where the killing of Narkasura by Sri Krishna and his consort Satyabhama is depicted and the effigies of narkasura is burnt on the pervious night of the diwali and thus Diwali here in Goa is signified as the Victory of Good over the Evil. Next day continues to be the same manner in which Diwali is celebrated in other parts of the world.

Goan Festivals

Goans festival

     Goa being a small dot on the map of India has its own identity in the rest of the world. Even being small state India it has its unique cultural heritage and rich historical and mythological stories.Although the flavor of Indo- culture is known to most of us, there are things beyond this which make Goans feel different and special culturally ,socially and otherwise so are the festivals celebrated in India. But way and the reasons of why they are celebrated are surprisingly different in its own kind.Three of these festivals that we are going to learn about are:

Ganesh Chatuthi

We as Indians, none of us are haven't been untouched by the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi or at least by its basic idea of Celebration. As per us, It is the worship of lord Ganesha by installation of its idol for certain number of days i.e. 1½,5,7,9,11 & 21. 

                                       A traditional artist making ganesh idol our of clay

  As in other western parts of India, it is celebrated in Goa also. But the uniqueness of this festival when celebrated in Goa is more traditional, more natural and meaningful.

  The local Clay (chikat maati) made idol of ganesh is installed in the ancestral houses of Goa. Where the previous day certain kind of wild plant leafs and flowers are worshiped in the form of parvati along with the image of shiva. The chaturthi starts with offerings of all kind of new crop of fruits and vegetables, domestic or wild ,edible or non-edible known as "Matoli'' to the lord Ganesh. Although the Clay Idol of Ganesh is given the highlight, the 1st offering and puja is performed to the Sacred Coconut known as 'Ganespujecho naal' which believe to be lord ganesh himself. Apart from all these things the 'aartis' are performed using the age old traditional instruments like 'Ghumat' made out of earthen pot and shin of comodo dragon, 'xemel' made out of wooden base and skin of Goat.

The way "Matoli" is being offered to Lord ganesh By Hanging it to the Ceiling.

"Matoli" at display in the local market of Mapusa

   A Lot of tasty Goan traditional food delicacies are prepared and severed to the entire family members who eat their food together under one roof unitedly during this festival.

    All this mark a significance of the maintenance of the traditions, culture and symbolization of nature in its best way possible. Even after the boom in globalization, modernization and commercialization Goans have managed to maintain their Heritage up to the make even today..

   And making its Ganesh Chaturthi meaningful in its own way... Morya!