While the rest of the country is planning the Holi Festival in great swing; Goa too does not lag behind the preparations for this colorful festival in the month of March. Yes, Holi – the vibrant and colorful festival of India will be also celebrated in Goa on March 24th, 2016 with great zest and enthusiasm. Infact, at Goa, for this spring festival of Goa, we have scheduled a week long program that includes the Shigmo (Shigmotosava) parades and tableau show, with epic enactments and high bass drumbeats, in the prime cities of Goa. It is celebrated by Konkani diaspora and Indian festival of Holi is part of it.
In Goa too, you would seen people (both locals and tourists) playing Holi wet from head to foot and streaked with all the hues of the world. Water balloons and water-guns (picchkaris) are used to drench people or douse them with water; colours are lovingly and mischievously smeared on clothes and faces indiscriminately.
To give the tourists a feel about the celebration, some Hotels and Resorts in Goa, also have their own Holi parties, what they call their pool parties during this vibrant weekend. Infact some hotels also have some evening entertainments of traditional dances like the Ghode Modni (horse dance) is literally a dance involving horse like movements, depicting the warrior-dances commemorating the victory of the Ranes, the then rules of the Sattari taluka over the Portuguese. Dashavtara (Ten Incarnations) is another form of dance to express the ten forms of Lord Vishnu and the Goff Dance (Handing Cords Braid Dance), which shows the skills to create a beautiful, colorful intricate braid while dancing together. The second part of the dance is to unreveal the cords and loosen them again. It is indeed a wonderful skill set of the dancers to create and uncreate this without a mistake.
Besides these, there are performers from Goa who do the Fugdi, the Divli Dance, and drummers create the music using the Dhol, Taashe and Kaasale to create a hyper beat for you. Also are the famous Tarangas which are waived along the parade and the dance to give it a festive feel.
In some places, you would see the tourists, especially the foreigners participating in this festival, with total enthusiasm and thrill, and their experience about Goa’s own Holi Festival.. Shigmo is truly a unique one. This year too, we expect all of you to come to Goa during this festival and experience the local style here to celebrate the festival of colors. Besides the extreme enthusiasm and thrill, our hospitality will make you feel secured and safe while you enjoy this lovely festival with your family, friends and your loved ones.
Some of our preferred hotels have floated special packages for the Holi / Shigmo Festival and you can avail the benefit of this packages to experience the Goan way of celebrating Holi. For Special Deals visit our website or just get in touch with our Travel Experts to know more.
As the Goa Tourism Department says it, ‘Shigmo is Goa’s answer to Holi, which is a festival of colour. It is the state’s biggest spring festival. The festival honors the homecoming of warriors who had left their homes and families at the end of Dusshera to fight the invaders. Huge dance troupes perform intricate movements of folk dances on the road all through the length of the parade. Many troupes perform more than 100 dances tirelessly, as they have been doing for centuries.’ Come Experience Goa, our team is all set to color you bright !!