All You need To Know About The Spring Festival Of Goa- Shigmo Festival

Bring colours with Shigmo Festival this Year Shigmo is a widely celebrated festival in the Indian state of Goa and is popularly known as the “Spring Festival of Goa”. It takes place within the month of Phalgun (March) from the ninth to the complete moon day as per the Hindu calendar. This year it is going to start on 21^st March 2019. The festival commemorates the homecoming of the soldiers who had left their house and mates at the end of Dussera to fight the invaders. The colouful dresses Photo Credit: Shigmofestival.org

What is Shigmo festival about?

Emerged as a logo of communal harmony over the years, Shigmo is the folk celebration of Goan Hindu which shows a diversity of folk dances, music, theatre forms and a lot more. It is the occasion to check the varied forms of arts and crafts of the village artisans through costumes and dances that are based on mythological events, musical instruments, headgears, masks, and jewelry. Throughout the Shigmo festival, the ripening of the winter crop is additionally enclosed as a reason for the festivities. The festive decoration in Goa Photo Credit: Shigmofestival.org

The best part of the festival

• The Shigmo parades are an audio-visual spectacle.
• People are dressed in colorful outfits holding flags, some are performing traditional dances and skits, and many play large instruments like the Dhol Tashaand flutes along the procession.
• Similar to Holi, people throw color on each other, along with paint and balloons filled with colored water.
• The parade is a mix of fantasy and traditional knowledge return to life. Tourists are also welcome to partake in the festivities.

• There are two forms of Shigmo celebrations in Goa, Dhakto Shigmo and Vhadlo Shigmo. While Dhakto Shigmo is generally celebrated by farmers and the rural population, Vhadlo Shigmo has a broader appeal and is celebrated by everyone together. Dhakto Shigmo is more about the singing, dancing, and procession on the streets while Vhadlo is to do with celebrations inside temples. Festival of colours Photo Credit: Tripoto

  It is widely known that the peak season to visit Goa is from November to February on account of the Christmas and New Year's parties held here. However, the festivals of Shigmo and Holi make Goa extremely happening and convivial during March. Not only do you get a slice of Goan culture, but you also get to interact with locals, play the festival of colors with them and participate in various Holi events all across Goa. Riding on your bike along the streets of Goa as locals throw colors on you, greet you with smiles and treat you as one of their own, gives you a high.

How to Set Foot in Goa

By Air: Goa International airport is found at Dabolim, which is 30 km away from Panjim. Multiple domestic airlines offer daily flights from major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad.   By Train: Goa has six railway stations. The general public usually gets down at Madgaon or Vasco-da-Gama in South Goa and Thivim in North Goa.   By Bus: Many luxury and budget buses run from major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, New Delhi to Goa. This will be a perfect time and place to enjoy India’s rich culture, dance, music, and tableaus depicting traditions along with mythology. To know more about the culture of India, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.