Eid ul Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims and the beginning of tenth lunar month or Shawwal. Ed-ul-Fitr was celebrated on the 9th of August 2013 in Goa. The day of the festival for Eid-ul-fitr is decided when the eid moon is sighted. Muslims fast and pray during Ramzan and abstain from all worldly pleasures. They open their fast at the break of dawn and dusk after their Namaaz. This ritual reinforces qualities like patience, spirituality and being compassionate towards others. People visit relatives and markets decked up for the festival also engage themselves in giving alms to the less fortunate during Ramzan, which is popularly known as Zakat.

Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the most important festivals for Muslims and a day of joy and thanksgiving. The celebrations begin on the last day of Ramadan after spotting the moon and offering prayers called Namaz-e-Eid where men gather at mosques to offer prayers and exchange greetings. They hug each other wishing "Ed Mubarak". The women-folk however, offer their Namaaz at home and exchange pleasantries. Women and girls deck their palms with henna or mehendi on this occasion.

Biryani

Saptah at Vasco : Worshipping Lord Damodar

The festivities and religious celebrations of the traditional Shree Damodar Bhajani Saptah in the port town of Vasco started on August 12 2013 and lasted for a week. The word Saptah which literally means a week begins a day after Nag Panchami at the Damodar temple in the month of Shravan of the Hindu lunar calender which comes before the festival of Raksha Bandan. The Shree Damodar temple is situated along the main road of Vasco city which is known as the Swatantra Path. One of the largest fairs in the state of Goa is for the Saptah and so the Swatantra path is closed for traffic during which time the traffic is diverted to the F.L. Gomes road.

Nag Panchami - Worshiping the Snake

Nag Panchami is a festival which is dedicated to snakes. They are a part of nature and in Indian culture we worship each and every part of nature.Snakes are considered dangerous but are worshiped as they destroy everything which is unwanted by human beings.Nag Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day of Shravan month as per the Hindu calender.

According to folklore (legends or oral history or popular beliefs) there were five brothers who went to kill a cobra. So the angry female cobra set out to attack all the brothers. One of the brothers had his sister with him who at once began to pray to the snake to forgive her brother as there would be no male representative of the family left then. Thus the cobra spared the last brother.

The sisters in one family in Goa on Nag Panchami prays for her brother by offering milk and 'liao' to the snake. This is either other to the snake idol or the tulsi. Some homes bring home the clay idol, others just pray to the snake god in their minds.The main dish for this festival is 'patolleo'. While different states have their own sweet preparation, in Goa patolleo is the traditional dish.

Patolleo

Janmashtami or Gokulashtami : The Birth of Lord Krishna

Janmashtami this year was celebrated on 28th August 2013.
Hindus celebrate Krisha Janmashtami(dispelling of darkness and evil) also known as Krishna Jayanti or Gokulashtami, is the festival which marks the birth of Lord Krishna and it falls on the eight day (ashtami)
 of the dark fortnight(Krishna Paksha). The celebrations commence at midnight as according to legends Lord Krishna is believed  to have been born at that time of the night.

Lord Krishna was born inside a prison cell as his parents were imprisoned by his cruel uncle Kansa. The moment Krishna was born the guards fell into a deep sleep and the prison chains and door flew open. Lord Krishna was the eight child of chief of 'Shooras' Vasudev and Devaki.They lived in the cruel kind Kansa's Kingdom where the king was warned by a divine sage Narada that if he did not mend his ways, he would be slain by Vasudev's eight child, a son. To foil the prophecy, Kansa confined the couple to his palace dungeons and slain every child born to them. However the seventh child Balaram was smuggled out of the palace before he could be killed and brought up Vasudev's elder wife, Rohini. To fool Kansa they presented him with a dead newborn baby girl.

Bonderam : Festivals of Flags at Divar Goa

The Bonderam festival was celebrated on 24th August 2013 on the Island of Divar. Bonderam is the festival of flags. Bonderam originates from the Portuguese word "Bandeira" meaning flag. The festival came to be cause of frequent disputes between two groups of Divar namely, Piedade and Sao Mathias. These disputes were over property issues which often led to violence and fights in the village.

To remedy these indifference's the Portuguese introduced a system of demarcation of the property boundaries with flags. The people then used to knock down these flags with stones and to remember these acts people used to make "Fotash" during the bonderam festival. Fotash is an instrument made of bamboo, and berries/peper corns were used as missiles in a mock fight between rival groups and also those participating in the festival. But the use of fotash is stopped as it used to result in eye injuries.

Fotash Float

About Goan Festivals Blog

This blog is dedicated to the festivals that are celebrated in the small state in Goa.
All the festivals from religious to cultural will be showcased on this blog.
So hold on to this blog for your regular dose of goan festivities.
Enjoy and please to comment and share your opinion or knowledge.