The Shigmo Festival is one among the most important holidays celebrated by the Hindu community in Goa. This fest is really the local variant of the Indian Holi.
The celebration consists of two parts. Five days before the entire moon within the month of Phalgun (February-March) the tiny Dhakto Shigmo begins. It’s celebrated in villages.
The celebration of Vhaldo Shigmo –starts on the complete moon night and also lasts during five days, and every citizen of the state participate during this festival. Goans love this festival considerably and prepare for it zealously.
Shigmo is celebrated in Konkan, especially in Goa. In North India, it’s refered to as Holi, in Assam and Bengal, it’s mentioned as Dolyatra, in South India it’s called Kamadahan and in Maharashtra, it’s referred to as Shimga. There are two kinds of Shigmo festival in Goa, the Dhakto Shigmo and thus the Vhadlo Shigmo.
The Dhakto Shigmo is widely known by the agricultural population, farmers and thus the labour class, whereas the Vhadlo Shigmo is of greater importance and is widely known by everyone.
History of Shigmo Festival
The Shigmo festival information is acquired from the Puranas. Its origin are often traced back to varied Puranic legends. Consistent with one such legend, Hollika was the aunt of Prahlad who provoked her brother Hiranyakashapu to inflict torture on Prahlad to prevent him from repeating the name of Lord.
Consistent with popular saying, Hollika was chased and abused by the people and was finally burnt to death. Others attribute the celebration of this festival to commemorate the death of Putana by Lord Krishna.
As per the truth of Shigmo festival information, it’s believed that this festival is widely known within the memory of the Indian cupid lord Kamadeva caused by the anger of Lord Shiva for the audacity of the previous to disturb him while he was in penance.
This festival also commemorates the homecoming of the brave soldiers who had left their families and residential at the highest of Dussehra to fight the invaders. Shigmo is additionally celebrated to welcome spring and is additionally mentioned as a harvest festival.
How is Shigmo celebrated in Goa?
On the first day, the village deity is bathed and dressed in saffron robes. After the offering of food, a feast is held.
In its essence, the Shigmo fest is a folklore holiday of spring incoming. Every festival day is said to the performance of particular songs and dances and exact colour of clothing. Thus, during the primary day of celebration people dress in clothes of yellow colour.
Altogether towns and cities people organize carnival processions and parades, and in some places pageants are prepared jointly. The majority of those pageants illustrate dome of the foremost important events from Indian epos and mythology.
The merriest and thus the foremost favorite part of Shigmo festival is that the tradition of covering each other with coloured powder and bright paints and swilling one another showing thus their gladness of spring incoming.
During the festival days Goa people look more picturesque than ever. This also falls to the tourist’s a lot, though sometimes unexpectedly, but as a result to everybody’s fun.
While the festival has not received the spotlight a bit like the state carnival and other such commercial activities, one can expect no less magnificence, for the festival truly is that.
So if you’re getting to visit Goa in the month of March, you’ve need to be a neighborhood of this cultural celebration of Shigmotsav and knowledge Goa’s vivid culture that’s as beautiful as that gulaal that characterizes it!
Source: ITS Goa (https://itsgoa.com/shigmo-festival-goa/)
