Goa Carnival

One of the most popular festivals of India, the Goa carnival, a three-day fest, had its birth during the era of King Momo. He ushered in the Goa carnival just before the Lent season (Lent is the period of fasting and penance in the Christian calendar and corresponding somewhat to the Mohammedan fast before Ramzan Id). This festival of Goa usually starts off on Sabado Gordo (Fat Saturday) and concludes on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday)-the eve of Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the season of Lent.

Carnival is a time for fun and frolic in Goa. Colourful processions and lavish floats parade the streets of Goa in India. Singing, dancing and masked people mark the uproarious and flamboyant Goan celebration. Most of the countries have carnivals which differ from one another but the unique thing about Goan carnival in India is that the people of Goa have inculcated different items in the carnival that makes us experience the different shades of Goa.
Goans begin preparations for this grand carnival from somewhere, say late December or early January. People in Goa rehearse for the plays to be enacted during the carnival. These short plays are composed by the Goans themselves and consists of music, songs and dance. The plays usually have a touch of history to it. The cast consisting of men only, performs the roles of women too. Dressed in the most colourful costumes, their headgear surpasses those worn by any primitive tribe in Asia or Africa.

The streets are crowded for three days and it is nothing but a carnival of colours, a carnival of fun and a carnival of joy for the people of Goa in India as well as the tourists who make it a point to plan their Goa visit during that time.