Harvest Festival

In goa the harvest Feast is celebrated in the month of August by which time the rice grains are formed. However the feast is not celebrated on the same day all over but on different days. In salcete most of the villages celebrate this on august 15th but the village of Raia has the festivities on August 15th which is the feast day of the Patroness of the church, Our lady of Snow. In Bardez the villages of aldona and Salvador do Mundo are first to celebrate the Feast on August 6th.

On this occasion the statue of the Saviors of the world is carried on a procession from the church to the field opposite where the new paddy is harvested. The statue has a golden sickle in its hand which is used to symbolically harvest the paddy by the priest.

In Tiswadi the harvest feast is celebrated on August 24th but some of the villages have the feast on the Sunday following this day. The villagers of Divar celebrate the harvest feast with an interesting parade of Bonderam (Flags) on the eve of the feast day which is on a Sunday following August 24th. On the 24th is the grand Finale of the four day long festival. It is on this day that a committee of Gaunkars carries avel and a Sheaf of paddy stalk to the se Cathedral where a high mass is held.