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Goa is a state of India. Goans are commonly said to be born with music and football in their blood because both are deeply entrenched in Goan culture. [1] [2] [3]
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2019) |
Goa is a state of India. Goans are commonly said to be born with music and football in their blood because both are deeply entrenched in Goan culture. [1] [2] [3]
According to the 1909 statistics in the Catholic Encyclopedia, the total Catholic population was 293,628 out of a total population 365,291 (80.33%). [4] Within Goa, there has been a steady decline of Christianity due to Goan emigration, and a steady rise of other religions, due to massive non-Goan immigration since the Annexation of Goa. Native Goans are outnumbered by non-Goans in Goa, but Christianity remains prevalent in the state, with a higher percentage of Christians than the national average. [5] Conversion seems to play little role in the demographic change. According to the 2011 census, in a population of 1,458,545 people, 66.1% were Hindu, 25.1% were Christian, 8.3% were Muslim and 0.1% were Sikh. [6]
The most popular celebrations in the Indian state of Goa include the Goa Carnival, (Konkani: Intruz), Shigmo and São João (Feast of John the Baptist). [7] The most popular festivals in Goa include Ganesh Chaturthi (Konkani: Chavath), [8] Diwali, [9] Christmas (Konkani: Natalam), [10] Easter (Konkani: Paskanchem Fest), Samvatsar Padvo or Sanvsar Padvo and the feast of St. Francis Xavier, who is known as Goencho Saib by the Catholic Community in Goa. [11] [12]
Rice with fish curry (Xit kodi in Konkani) is the staple diet in Goa. [13] Goan cuisine is renowned for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes. Coconut and coconut oil is widely used in Goan cooking along with chili peppers, spices and vinegar giving the food a unique flavour. Pork and beef dishes such as Vindalho, [14] [15] Xacuti and Sorpotel are cooked for major occasions among the Catholics. An exotic Goan vegetable stew, known as Khatkhate, is a very popular dish during the celebrations of festivals, Hindu and Christian alike. Khatkhate contains at least five vegetables, fresh coconut, and special Goan spices that add to the aroma. A rich egg-based multi-layered sweet dish known as bebinca is a favourite at Christmas. [16] Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the fruit of the cashew tree, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms.
The architecture of Goa shows a distinct Portuguese influence. Fontainhas in Panaji has been declared a cultural quarter, showcasing the life, architecture and culture of Goa. [17]
The Churches and Convents of Goa are a group of six churches that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [18] The Basilica of Bom Jesus holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa. [19] Once every ten years, the body is taken down for veneration and for public viewing. The last such event was conducted in 2014. [20]
Influences from other eras (Kadambas of Goa, Maratha Empire) are visible in some of Goa's temples, notably the Mahadev Temple [21] and Saptakoteshwar Temple. [22]
Football is the most popular sport in Goa along with Cricket. [23] Athletics, chess, hockey, swimming, table tennis and basketball are other popular sports in Goa. Fishing is also a popular recreational activity.
Goan Catholics have been performing Western classical music since the 1500s, because it is an integral part of the Catholic liturgy. Mando, dekhnni, dulpod and tiatr are traditional Goan musical forms in Konkani developed from Western Music.
Goan Hindus are very fond of Natak, Bhajan and Kirtan. Many famous Indian Classical singers hail from Goa, such as, Kishori Amonkar, Kesarbai Kerkar, Jitendra Abhisheki, Prabhakar Karekar.
Some traditional Goan dance forms are dekhnni, fugdi, corridinho and dashavatara. Western social dancing is a part of most celebrations.
Goans are very fond of theatre and acting. Kalo and dashavatar were popular art forms. Marathi Nataks have been very popular among Hindus in Goa for the past two centuries. Tiatr is the major Goan form of theatre common amongst Catholics and is the most commercial offering as it has entertained Goans not only in Goa but also in Mumbai and Pune (which are major cities of India and have a sizeable Goan population) and in the Gulf regions of UAE, Kuwait and so on.
The majority of Goans speak Konkani as their first language, while the remaining speak other languages, like Hindi, Portuguese or Marathi as their primary language. However, practically all Goans can speak and understand Konkani. Konkani is an important part of the Goan identity that binds together all Goans.
Goa developed an international reputation in the 1960s as one of the prime stops on the legendary India-Nepal "hippie trail". In the mid-1960s, several Westerners, including "Eight Finger Eddie" walked over the hill to Calangute, and decided to create a community for Westerners. In the early years, Calangute and Baga were the center of this scene, but it grew over the years to include other nearby cities like Anjuna Beach, which became, and arguably still is, the center of the Western youth culture of Goa. By the mid-1980s, there were over 8000 Westerners living in Goa, mostly from Western Europe. The scene was marked by drug culture, trance music and free love. Goa remains today an international center of youth culture.
Starting in the late 1990s, Goa began to attract a more "upscale" audience, which in turn drove prices up, which in turn drove many in the "hippie" community to other less-expensive areas. Arambol—the beach community furthest away from "civilization", like electricity and running water—became the center of a battle between those wanting to turn Goa into a more traditional upscale resort area, and those wanting Goa to retain its traditional rustic counterculture appeal.
Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi or Vinayagar Chaturthi, is a Hindu festival that tributes Hindu deity Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay murtis privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals. Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and vrata (fasting). Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, that are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modak as it is believed to be a favourite of Lord Ganesha. The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the Murti is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 Murtis are immersed annually. Thereafter the clay Murti dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to his celestial abode.
Music of Goa refers to music from the state of Goa, on the west coast of India. A wide variety of music genres are used in Goa ranging from Western art music to Indian classical music. Konkani music is also popular across this tiny state. Being a former territory of Portugal, Goa has a dominant western musical scene with the use of instrument such as the violin, drums, guitar, trumpet and piano. It has also produced a number of prominent musicians and singers for the world of Indian music. Portuguese Fado also has significance in Goa.
Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians adhering to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language.
Loutolim or LoutulimLottli pronounced:, Portuguese: Loutulim) is a large village of South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is an important settlement in the Salcete sub-district.
Goan cuisine consists of regional foods popular in Goa, an Indian state located along India's west coast on the shore of the Arabian Sea. Rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, meat, bread, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in Goan cuisine. Use of kokum and vinegar is another distinct feature. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish.
Patoleo are stuffed turmeric leaf wraps, a dish which is mostly prepared on the western coast of India. The main stuffing is made from freshly shredded coconut, rice flour paste, and palm jaggery; and cooked by wrapping and steaming in turmeric leaves.
Lorna Cordeiro, also mononymously known as Lorna, is an Indian Konkani singer. She is popularly known as the "Nightingale of Goa".
The Culture of Goan Catholics is a blend of Portuguese and Konkani cultures, with the former having a more dominant role because the Portuguese ruled Goa directly from 1510 to 1961.
Goan Catholic Cuisine is the cuisine of the Goan Catholic community and is largely influenced by Portuguese cuisine. Due to over 450 years of Portuguese rule, the cuisine of Goan Catholics is dominated by ingredients and techniques of Portuguese cuisine like deep-frying, oven-baking, pork, vinegar, egg-based desserts, alcohol, etc.
A sanna is a spongy, steamed, and savoury unfilled dumpling originally made of red rice, black lentil and coconut in the Konkan region, by the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. They originated in Goa and Damaon, Mangalore, Bombay and Bassein (Vasai), and are especially popular among Goans, both the Goan Hindus and Goan Christians, and also among the Konkani migrants outside Konkan in Karachi, Sindh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala. They are also loved by the people of the Konkan division, such as the Kuparis of the Bombay East Indian community.
Tiatr is a type of musical theatre that is popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India, as well as in Mumbai and among expatriate communities in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and other cities with a significant presence of Konkani speakers. The dramas are primarily performed in the Romi Konkani dialects and incorporate elements such as music, dance, and singing. Individuals who perform in tiatr are referred to as tiatrists.
Monti Fest is a major Catholic festival held on 8 September every year by the Latin Catholic community of Konkani people, originating in the Konkan region of India, and their descendants in the Canara region of south India. This festival celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in the Mangalorean Catholic community involves blessing of Novem. In certain Goan Catholic dialects the festival's name is corrupted to "Moti Fest".
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea in the west. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole. The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India's National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India. It is the second-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Goa:
Carnival in Goa, also called "Carnaval", "Intruz", "Entrado", or (colloquially) "Viva Carnival" refers to the festival of carnival, in the Indian state of Goa. Though significantly smaller than the well-known Rio Carnival or the Portuguese Carnival of Madeira, the Goa Carnival is the largest in India and one of the few traditional celebrations of the Western Christian holiday in Asia. The current version of the Goa Carnival was modelled after the Rio Carnival by a local musician named Timoteo Fernandes and imposed in 1965 to attract tourists. It has since turned into a major tourist attraction for the small state.
Santana Filomena Ceirico Camilo "Cyriaco" Dias is an Indian actor, playwright, theatre director, singer, freedom fighter, and social worker known for his work in Konkani films and tiatr productions. Throughout his career, he has performed in over 1,000 dramas and has accumulated over 4,500 acting credits.
Bernardo Vitorino Fernandes, known professionally as Bernard de Aldona, was an Indian composer, singer, theatre actor, and playwright who worked on the Konkani stage.
Assis João Avelino Afonso, known mononymously as Affonceka, was a Goan theatre actor, playwright, and theatre director known for his work in tiatr productions. From the 1920s to the 1940s, he played a pivotal role in the development and progress of Konkani tiatr.
Cajetan Francis Pinto, known mononymously as Caiti, was an Indian make-up artist who worked on the Konkani stage.
