Muslim Festivals

Urus of Shah Abdullah at Ponda - 17th Zilhaj (February)


Christian Festivals

January 6th - Feast of Three Kings at Reis Magos, Cansaulim and Chandor
February 2nd- Feast of Our Lady of Candelaria at Pomburpa
February & March - Carnival
Monday after 5th sunday in Lent, Procession of All Saints of the third Franciscan Order (only other besides Rome at Old Goa - Velha.
1st Sunday after Easter - Feast of Jesus of Nazareth at Siridao
16 days after Easter - Feast of Our Lady of Miracles at Mapusa
August 24th - Festival of Novidades - offerings of first sheaves of rice crop to the Head of State.
October - 1st fortnight - Fama de Menino Jesus at Colva
Novemeber - 3rd Wednesday of the month - Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary at Navelim.
December, 3rd - Feast of St.Francis Xavier, Patron Saint of Goans at Old Goa
December, 8th - Feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception at Panaji and Margao.
December, 25th - Christmas all over Goa.


Hindu Festivals

Hindu festivals are harder to date because of the different calendar by they include :

January :
Festival of Shantadurga Prasann at the small village of Fatorpa, south of Margao. There is a night time procession of chariots bearing the goddess and as many as 100,000 people flock to the festival.
The Shri Bodgeshwar zatra or temple festival takes place just south of Mapusa.

February :
The three day zatra of Shri Mangesh takes place in the lavish temple of that name in the Ponda district.
In the old Fontainhas district of Panaji the Maruti zatra draws huge and colourful crowds. Maruti is another name for Hanuman.

March:
In Goa the festival of Holi is called Shigmo. There's a parade in Panaji and numerous temple festivals around Goa. In the Procession of Umbrellas at Cuncolim, Shantadurga is carried in procession over the hills to the original temple site wrecked by the Portuguese in 1580. The route taken is the same one by which the image was spirited away to safety outside the Portuguese borders. It's a colourful and dramatic event.

Shigmotsav

All over Goa. Special celebrations at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco-da-Gama and Margao. A spring festival celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Phalgun in March.

Zatra

In all temples of special importance being at Mangueshi, Nagueshi, Ramnathi, Kavlem, Madkai, Kundai, Shiroda, Khandepar, Borim, Kapileshwari, Mulgaon,Fatorpa, Amona, Shirgao, Marshel, Mala-Panaji, Mapusa, Velinga, Karmali and Calangute.

Mahashivrati

Harvalem, Ramnathi, Kavlem, Mangueshi, Nagueshi, Shiroda, Brahmapuri, Shirgao, Kasarpal, Fatorpa and Panaji.

Rangapanchami:

(Gulal), Kasarpal and Zambaulim.

Ramnavami:


Partagal - Canacona

Chaitra - Purnima

Borim, Sanquelim, Nagueshi, Chandranath, Cudnem and Mashem - Canacona.

Gokulashtami:

Narve - Bicholim

Ganesh Chaturthi:

All over Goa

Deepawali:

All over Goa.

Navratra Utsav

At all Hindu Temples. Special celebrations at Shantadurga, nagueshi, Mahalakshimi and Ramnath temples at Ponda and Kalika Devi Temple at Kasarpal.

Dasrotsav:

All over Goa.

Kojagiri Purnima:

Mardol - Ponda.

Dattajayanti:

Sanquelim, Quepem & Dattawadi in Mapusa.


Festival's Held by the Kala Academy

1. Artist Camp - January
2. Pop, Beat & Jazz Music Festival - May
3. Bhajan Competition - August
4. Kirtan Mahotsava (Quepem) - September
5. Theatre Festival - November
6. Marathi Drama Festival - November/December
7. Konkani Drama Festival - November/December
9. Surashree Kesarbai Kerkear Smriti Sangeet Samaroha - November
10.State Art Exhibition - December
11.Christmas Carol Singing - December


Classical Music Festivals

Samrat Club's annual Sangeet Sammelan in memory of Master Dinanath Mangeshkar at Shri Shantadurga Devasthan, Kavlem (December).