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Goa Fairs & Festivals
Fairs & Festivals Of Goa - Goans live in
blissful religious harmony and all festivals are celebrated by all communities
irrespective of their creed or personal beliefs. Most festivals are related to
religious activities, and every village 'jatra', or feast, is akin to a
festival. The major festivals, celebrated with great pomp and gaiety, are
Diwali, Christmas and Ganesh Chaturthi. Shigmotsav, (which coincides with Holi
in North India), is a festival for
welcoming spring and is celebrated wit] colour, and great merriment. The feast
of St. Francis Xavier at Old Goa, the Fatorpa Jatra, the Shirigao Jatra, All
Saints Feast at Goa Velha and Mahashivratri, are some of the other popular
festivals, all celebrated in a distinctive way.
With music coursing
through their veins Goans break into song and dance at the slightest excuse.
Almost every restaurant boasts a live band, though it might only consist of a
single Spanish guitar! And their crowning glory is the renowned rock star -
Remo Fernandes.
The famous Winter Carnival prior to Lent,
where there is great fun & frolic, music & dancing, lasts for three
days. All night street dancing with specially designed costumes and masks ends
in a frenzied finale, where Momo, the King o Darkness, leads a procession
through the town.
Goa Tourists Attraction - The thickly forested
240 sq km Bhagvan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary that lies
along the eastern border of the State at Molem (60 km from Panaji), is
a paradise for bird watchers. Further north, Bondia Forest,
just 50 km from Panaji, is an ideal jungle resort and attracts
people throughout the year. Dudhsagar Waterfalls, about
an hour's journey from Colem by train, is a feast for the eyes, with water
plummeting hundreds of feet
and forming one of the most spectacular phenomena in the region,
particularly soon after the monsoons. Mayem Lake, a pretty
picnic spot just 35 km from Panaji, and Kesarval Spring (22
km), whose waters are said to possess medicinal properties, are also pleasant
getaways.
Apart from its
beaches, a variety of water sport activities provide much aquatic excitement in
Goa. You can skim over the river Mandovi on hovercraft, or take a slower river
cruise on the Santa Monica luxury yacht that includes a cultural programme of
Goan folk songs and dances. You can choose a cruise to suit your schedule - an
hour-long cruise at sunset (6 pm) or sundown (7.15 pm); two-hour island
pleasure cruise; the 5-hour pleasure cruise starting at ten in the morning
along the course of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers, or, if you are lucky to be
there, the enchanting Full-moon cruise! Pedal boating and aqua bikes bring
crowds of youngsters to Dona Paula jetty (near Panaji), Ourem Creek at
Patto, Panaji and to the Mayem Lake. And frequent wind surfing regattas
draw world class surfers to test the waves.
Day-long conducted
tours of North and South Goa by luxury coach are arranged by the Goa
Tourism Development Corporation that also runs special tours to Dudhsagar
Waterfalls and the Bondia Wild life sanctuary.
Goa Cuisine - Restaurants of all descriptions mushroom on every street
corner and beaches. A plate of
the staple fish curry and rice is available almost anywhere. For people with a
weakness for hot spicy food, Goa is hog heaven - quite literally, as Goan
Pork Vindaloo is the culmination of culinary excellence. Indeed, many
other specialities of Goan cuisine have gained appreciation far and wide -
Xacuti (a chicken or meat dish), Prawn Balchao, Chourisso (Goan
sausage) and the delicious, much relished sweets, Bebinca and Dodol. The State
has an abundance of areca and coconut palms and thatch roofs adorn most of the
beach side cafes. The coconut palm is perfect for climbing, and locals shinny
up to collect coconuts at breakneck speed.Tender coconut water or 'dab' is
sweet and thirst quenching. But not as refreshing as the local toddy - 'feni',
also brewed from the coconut. The popular Goan Port, red and white wines flow
as freely as water, and are almost as cheap!
Places To Eat Good Goan,
Continental, Thai, Chinese and other cuisines are available at many
restaurants.
Goan Shopping -
» Bamboo, Woodwork, Pottery and Metal work at
Bardez & Bicholim
» Traditional embroidery at Panaji
» Lacquer work at Cuncolin
» Decorative candles at Sanquelim
Goa is a land of a myriad colours. The soil
is deep red and the vegetation a deep green. The dense coconut groves, plazas,
boulevards and sleepy hamlets, prompted the Portuguese to name it 'The Pearl of
the Orient'. Palms sway along hilly, winding paths and the wide roads are
pollution free and fairly empty.
If you are alone, you can ride pillion
on one of the quaint motorcycle cabs that are found nowhere else in India.
Bikes can also be hired at fairly reasonable rates. It is as if the Goans know
that the best way to see the land is with the sun in your eye and the wind in
your hair.
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