Hanv Saiba Carnivalak Voitha! Goa Carnival 2017 from 25 – 28 Feb

Hanv Saiba Carnivalak Voitha! Goa Carnival 2017 from 25 – 28 Feb

The Tourist Department will be organizing the carnival Festival 2017 from 25TH February to 28TH February 2017 as per this schedule: Carnival kick-off on 25th February, 2017 4.00 p.m. onwards at Panjim-capital of Goa; 26th February, 2017 4.00 p.m. onwards at Margao; 27th February, 2017 4.00 p.m. onwards at Vasco; and Curchorem ; 28th February, 2017 4.00 p.m. onwards at Ponda, Shiroda and Mapusa. Team Mangalorean will be in Panjim and Margao on 25 and 26 Feb- Mangalureans who are partying on these two days here- call us at 8746841856, and we’ll capture your good times, to be incorporated in Mangalorean.com

Mangaluru: The mirthful exuberance of the fun and music loving people of Goa reaches is climax during the three day Goa Carnival celebrations, starting 25 February till 28 February this year. Introduced by the Portuguese settlers who rules Goa for about 500 years, and celebrated originally by the Catholics, this carnival, one-of-its-kind in the country has now dissolved all communal barriers. The three days preceding Lent (February) sees all Goa gyrating to the mad beat of music, fun, drink and dance. The festivities are presided over by King Momo, and his consort who are chosen from among the participants.

The carnival marks the celebrations before the month of Lent, which characterizes fasting or abstinence from meat. Lent ends in Easter and is significant for the Catholics. However, the carnival celebration reverberates with echoes of pagan culture dating back to Roman Saturnalia and feasts of Apollo in Greece. The Carnival now has taken on many secular implications in most places that celebrate the carnival. The Goa Carnival, for instance, has turned out to be a major tourist attraction drawing thousands of tourists from all over the country.

This year’s Carnaval will revive the yesteryears’ fervour with larger-than-life décor, mask installations and a Food & Cultural Festival – the biggest of its kind in Goa. Goa Tourism has left no stone un-turned to take the 2017 Carnaval experience to a heightened level of excitement and entertainment. The festival, as usual, will feature float parades in four cities i.e. Panaji, Margao, Vasco and Mapusa, also small towns like Curchorim and Shiroda. The Carnival will also offer visitors the opportunity to experience cuisine and culture through a unique blend of food, fun, local and national live music performances, fashion shows, and entertainment. This public event recognises Goa’s diverse population including its vast tourist populace and promotes a message of tolerance, friendship and inclusiveness.

Since the state has experienced the reign of different Portuguese rulers for more than 500 years, this festival reflects some of the Portuguese lifestyles. However, nowadays, people from different caste and creed celebrate as well as participate in this carnival. This Goan festival has derived its meaning from the Latin word ‘Carnival’, which means ‘to throw away meat’. Thus, one of the strict rules of this important festival of Goa is to refrain from meat during the carnival days. Generally stretching for 3 days to 4 days in a year, this carnival is one of the eagerly awaited Goan festivals. In the earlier days, the festival was celebrated solely by the locals of the state but presently, apart from breaking the frontiers of the state, this carnival of Goa attracts many people from different parts of India as well as across the globe.

This festival is celebrated before the starting of Lent that is believed to be the time when Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness. As per tradition, during the period of Lent, people are neither supposed to indulge themselves in any kind of celebration nor consume rich foods like meat, fats, dairy products etc. so people thought of celebrating before that. Thus, the carnival originated with a grand party which involved consumption of the varied kinds of rich food by the entire community.

The different kinds of celebrations in the Goa Carnival include singing, dancing, drinking, feasting and various other types of merry making. All major streets of the state become lively with the graceful dances, strumming of guitars, lively processions and many more. Apart from the non-stop festivity, the streets are decorated with vibrant colors and floats.

The celebrations of Goa carnival are not just restricted to the day time. A number of acrobats, brass bands, clowns, dancers, fire eaters, jesters etc. are seen to be performing in the streets of some of the major cities of Goa. The celebrations are carried on throughout the nights of those festival days. A huge amount of zest and zeal are seen among the crowd during this state carnival. Dominated by lots of fun and enjoyment, a niche has been carved with a unique characteristic charm.

Being a blend of the local as well as the Portuguese culture, this Goa Carnival is known for spreading joy and happiness. Doses of Feni along with the different kinds of sumptuous local food just add on to the fun of the carnival. So plan your coming weekend in Goa, and enjoy all the fun and frolic Goa Carnival has to offer. Viva Goa! Viva Carnival!

Musician Roque Fernandes is Goa Carnival 2017 King Momo:

King Momo is a mythological figure who symbolically rules the State during Carnival time and also leads the float parades held across the state. A resident of Panjim, Roque Fernandes, aged 65, has been selected by the Carnival Committee to be the King Momo for this year’s Goa Carnival. A retired government employee, Roque is a well-known musician and popular figure in the Goan entertainment industry. He has played key roles in Mando (traditional dance) festivals and many top Goan cultural events.

Roque also plays a popular figure at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), dressed as King Momo welcoming foreign tourists on cruise liners arriving at the Port. For Roque Fernandes, this is his fifth time as King Momo and his selection came after a stiff competition from three other contestants. Thrilled to be King Momo once again, Fernandes said, “ I love Goa, I love to be King Momo and I am all set to enthral Goa and all visitors to the State for the four-day Carnival celebrations.”

If you happen to be Goa for the Carnival on 25 and 26 Feb, Call Team Mangalorean (Alfie) at 8746841856- we’ll get you covered of all your happy and revelry times, in Mangalorean.com