Deyasini ChatterjeeAs the remnants of winter fade away and the warm whispers of spring drift over Goa’s sun-kissed shores, the state comes alive in a riot of colour and tradition. Shigmo, a Goan festival that celebrates spring, is more than just a celebration. It’s a centuries-old celebration of the land, its people, and their enduring spirit. Rooted in agrarian and warrior traditions, this festival marks the return of soldiers from distant battles and the bounty of the season’s harvest. Over five vibrant days, villages transform into colourful canvases of myth and folklore, with elaborate floats, folk dances, and the rhythmic beat of drums filling the air. While recent years saw a quieter observance, this year, Shigmo returns in all its glory, with an exciting lineup of events that is sure to captivate and enchant.
Shigmo 2025: Parade Dates
Goa’s villages come alive with the rhythmic pulse of drums, folk dances, and dazzling costumes as Shigmo sweeps through the state. This year, Goa Tourism has curated vibrant parades across multiple towns, celebrating the tradition in all its grandeur. The dates of this Goan festival are from 15th to 29th March, 2025.
The Origins of Shigmo: Goa’s Festival of Spring and Valour
Shigmo’s roots lie in Goa’s agrarian past, when early settlers, mostly farmers, marked the arrival of spring with joyous celebrations. After months of hard work sowing and harvesting crops, they welcomed the season of abundance with vibrant festivities. Over time, this Goan festival extended beyond farmers to include the entire Goan community, regardless of religion, evolving into a grand expression of gratitude, renewal, and unity. Another festival, Intruz, tells its own unique story of Goa’s past, adding to the cultural richness of this season of revelry.
Shigmo also has deep mythological significance, with references in the Puranas. Some legends trace it to Holika’s fiery demise at the hands of Lord Vishnu’s devotees, while others link it to Krishna’s victory over the demoness Putana. Another tale connects it to Lord Shiva’s wrath against Kamadeva for disturbing his meditation. Historically, Shigmo also honours the return of Goan warriors who had departed after Dussehra to defend their land. Today, this Goan festival blends folklore, history, and agrarian joy into a spectacular celebration, marked by dazzling parades, traditional folk performances, and an electrifying display of Goan culture.
Shigmo Celebrations in Villages: A Tapestry of Rituals and Legends
While Shigmo’s grand parades captivate visitors, its heart remains in Goa’s villages, where centuries-old rituals unfold in honour of deities, spirits, and ancestors. These unique celebrations culminate in the riotous festival of colours, Holi. But each village brings its own special flavour, some mystical, some eerie, and others deeply symbolic.
In Shirgao, Lairai Zatra sees devotees walk barefoot over blazing embers in a dramatic test of faith. In Canacona, Shisharanni features men using their own turbans as stoves, allowing rice to cook over their unconscious bodies — a ritual steeped in spiritual endurance. In Zarme, Chorotsav recreates a tragic beheading, a haunting tribute to those mistakenly slain as thieves. The village of Malcornem in Sanguem keeps a 400-year-old tradition alive with Xeni Uzzo, where bare-chested men dance in a trance around burning cow dung cakes, oblivious to falling embers. Gadyachi Zatra in Sal honors Lord Mahadev, as men in a trance follow an elusive ghostly flame into the forest, only to be found unconscious and revived with holy water.
Shigmo’s past is also intertwined with Goa’s colonial history. Intruz emerged as a defiant rebranding of Shigmo under Portuguese rule, allowing locals to continue their celebrations. Other villages uphold unique traditions like Shidyotsav, an aerial acrobatic display in Balli, and Karvalho, a festival in Sattari honouring womanhood with male devotees dressed as goddesses. In Ponda, Veerabhadra devotees walk across fire, a ritual brought from Karnataka nearly two centuries ago. These village celebrations weave together mythology, history, and devotion, making Shigmo an unmissable cultural spectacle.
Folk Dances of Shigmo: A Celebration of Tradition and Martial Arts
Shigmo’s folk dances are an integral part of the festival’s vibrant tapestry, blending martial traditions with spiritual devotion. One of the most dramatic performances is Viramel, a martial arts dance that takes place from the ninth day of Phalgun to the full moon. Members of the Bhagat community don white dhotis and turbans, brandishing swords and a broom made from peacock feathers called Pillakucho. As they march from house to house in a grand procession, the rhythmic beats of drums, cymbals, and horns fill the air, creating an electrifying atmosphere.
In the talukas of Canacona and Sanguem, three other folk dances — Talgadi, Tonyamel, and Goff — capture the essence of Shigmo. Talgadi, once common across Goa but now limited to certain areas, features performers in dhotis and mundashe, dancing to folk music played on traditional instruments like cymbals and small drums. Tonyamel shares similar movements but uses cane or bamboo sticks, with dancers adorned in turbans and garlands of crossandra flowers. Goff, though less frequent today, involves men tying coloured strings to poles and performing a vibrant dance, praising Lord Krishna through folk songs.
In Narve, Bicholim, the Morulo makes for a stunning portrayal of the peacock, with dancers mimicking the bird’s movements while singing songs about its behaviour. Ghodemodni, a large-scale performance involving dancers carrying wooden horse effigies and swords, commemorates Goa’s warrior traditions, drawing large crowds during Shigmo parades. In the Velip community of Neturlim, the martial dance Hanpet is a fierce and striking ritual, where performers wield swords in a display of self-discipline and strength, reflecting their ancestral warrior heritage. These dances preserve Goa’s rich cultural history, weaving together martial prowess and spirituality in a dynamic celebration.
Parting Thoughts
Shigmo is a vibrant reminder of the importance of preserving cultural traditions. As travellers, it’s crucial to approach these celebrations with curiosity, supporting their continuity for generations. It is only through sensitivity, awareness, and a deep respect for the land that we can keep these stories and traditions alive, ensuring their rich legacy endures.
