Shimgo, or Shishirotsava [1] is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa, where it is one of the major festivals of the Hindu community. It is also celebrated by Konkani diaspora and Indian festival of Holi is part of it.
Shimgo, or Shishirotsava [1] is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa, where it is one of the major festivals of the Hindu community. It is also celebrated by Konkani diaspora and Indian festival of Holi is part of it.
The Konkani word śigmō comes from the Prakrit word suggimaho which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word sugrīṣmaka. [2]
In recent years the state government has supported public Shigmo parades consisting of traditional folk and street dancers and elaborately built floats depicting scenes from regional mythology and religious scenes. Meanwhile, Shigmo festivals also continue in various rural parts of Goa, spanning over a fortnight, with different days earmarked for celebrations in different areas. This festival is celebrated around March each year. It is linked to the Hindu lunar calendar, hence its date according to the Gregorian calendar varies.
There are two variants of Shigmo festival: Dhakto Shigmo ("small Shigmo") and Vhadlo Shigmo ("big Shigmo"). [1] Dhakto Shigmo is generally celebrated by farmers, the labour class and the rural population, while Vhadlo Shigmo is of greater consequence and is celebrated by everyone together. [1]
Dhakto Shigmo begins some five days before the full-moon day of the Indian lunar month of Phalguna and ends on the full-moon day [3] in the Old Conquests areas of Goa (the areas that were under Portuguese colonial rule for a longer period of time, starting from the sixteenth century). On the other hand, Vhadlo Shigmo is mostly celebrated in the New Conquests areas, beginning on the full-moon day of Phalguna and continuing for five days.
Naman are songs sung in chorus during the festival, when villagers assemble at a fixed place. Jot is another kind of song. Dances include Talgadi, Hanpet, Lamp Dance and Gopha. Dhol and Taso are drums, some of which can be huge, which people carry from door to door, dancing to their sound. Money is placed in a plate carried by the performers, in response to which they sing a song called the Tali, wishing the donor well. On the last day of the festival, it is believed that a spirit known as the Gade padap enters the dancers. Mand davarap refers to a collective bath taken after the festival comes to an end.[ citation needed ]
Dhakto Shigmo can be considered mainly as a festival of folk songs and folk dances, [1] while Vhadlo Shigmo is considered a festival performed in the village temple. [1] It is celebrated in different temples on different dates around the same period. On the first day, the village deity is bathed and dressed in saffron robes. [4] After the offering of food, a feast is held. [4] Shigmo celebrated in the temples of Jambavali, [5] Phatarpya, [6] Kansarpal [4] and Dhargale[ citation needed ] are very famous in Goa and the neighboring states and attract a large number of devotees and tourists.
Eg folk songs like
शेवते झाडाचो लांबा ताळयो
लांब ताळयो शेवते फुला कळो
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such as the Jammu, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Kashmir, Sindh, Assam Valley, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A related instrument is the dholak or dholki. Dhols are amongst other events used in Indian wedding ceremony processions such as Baraat or Varyatra.
Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu. Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent of India and Nepal, but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.
Phalguna is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phalguna is the twelfth month of the year and corresponds with February/March in the Gregorian calendar.
Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav, 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.
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Gudi Padwa is a spring festival marking the start of the lunisolar new year for Hindus, primarily those of the Marathi and Konkani heritage. It is celebrated in and around Maharashtra, Goa & Damaon at the start of Chaitra, the first month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. The festival is characterised by colourful floor decorations called rangoli, a special gudi dvaja; which is a saari or dhoti or other piece of cloth garlanded with flowers, mango, and neem leaves; a sugar crystal garland called gathi, topped with upturned silver or copper vessels. Celebration also includes street gathering, dancing & festive foods.
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.
The Konkani people are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Konkan region of the Indian subcontinent who speak various dialects of the Konkani language. Konkani is the state language of Goa and also spoken by populations in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Damaon and Kerala. Other Konkani speakers are found in Gujarat state. A large percentage of Konkani people are bilingual.
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The caste system in Goa consists of various Jātis or sub-castes found among Hindus belonging to the four varnas, as well as those outside of them. A variation of the traditional Hindu caste system was also retained by the Goan Catholic community.
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.
The Daivadnya,, is a Konkani community, who claim to have descended from Vishwakarma, Hindu architect god and part of larger Vishwakarma community. They are native to the Konkan and are mainly found in the states of Goa and Damaon, Canara, coastal Maharashtra, and Kerala.
A Goan temple is known as a dēvūḷ (देवूळ) or sansthān (संस्थान) in the Konkani language. These temples were once the centres of villages, cities, and all the other social, cultural and economic gatherings in Goa. These were known as grāmasansthās (ग्रामसंस्था) in Konkani.
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.
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Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris as well, one starting on the Shukla paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Jyestha Month.
Dhalo is a popular ritual folk dance form Goa, India. The dance is performed by women and serves as a prayer of protection for their households. The songs to which the dance is performed are usually sung in Konkani language or Marathi.The themes of such songs are commonly religious or social in nature. It is conducted over a period of 1 week in the month of Pousha at the onset of winter. On the final day women dress up elaborately and draw caricatures of men.
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Goa, Daman and Diu Liberation Day is observed on December 19 every year in Goa, India. The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated in commemoration of the Indian armed forces annexing Portuguese-ruled Goa. Also, India was completely free from European rule on this day.
