Goa's Shigmo festival celebrates spring with parades and performances

Panaji (Goa) [India], March 23 (ANI): Goa is celebrating its vibrant Shigmo Festival, a two-week cultural extravaganza that began on March 15 and runs until March 29. This annual festival marks the arrival of spring in the Konkan region and is filled with colorful parades, folk dances, and other cultural performances that showcase the rich traditions of the state.
Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte emphasized the importance of the festival as part of Goa's heritage. "We have two festivities in Goa which are spoken legacy-wise. One is Carnival, and one is Shigmo. Carnival has just been over, which was celebrated in a big fun and fervour. Now we are celebrating Shigmo, which goes on for 15 days, celebrated in almost 18 different constituencies... Shigmotsav is our tradition and cultural heritage," he said.
The festival, known locally as Shigmotsav, has long been an essential part of the state's celebrations and is seen as a way to honor the cultural and spiritual significance of spring. The Hindu community in Goa observes the festival in the month of Phalgun, which coincides with the spring season.
Minister Khaunte also noted that Goa is expanding its offerings for tourists. "Today, we want to talk about tourism in Goa beyond beaches, and the tourist wants to explore more, so we need to scale up our festivities. We are in the adding more festivities like, Chikhal Kalo (Mud Festival), Sao Joao (honoring Saint John the Baptist)," he stated.
A tourist said, "This is our first time visiting Goa and India and we didn't expect such an amazing experience. It is so colourful and the people are very friendly. We are happy that we came and experience such a festival."
Another tourist from Iran said, "This is such a beautiful ceremony and we are very happy to be here. This is my first time being in such a festival and I hope it continues for a long time." (ANI)