Report and pics by Rajtilak Naik in Panaji
For Daijiworld Media Network – Goa
Panaji, Feb 17: “Eat...drink... and... enjoy"...the carnival fest is on
The 450-year-old tradition is here once again...the annual carnival fest is on with a bang once again.
The festive celebration started on Saturday with King Momo's messsage “khaayat...piyat ani majaa korat" “Eat...drink and be merry,” that's the centuries-old King Momo saying to the folks. The whole city of Panaji was dancing to the beats of traditional and modern dances which was accompanying the variety of beautiful traditional and commercial floats.
The coffin carrier's giving a message, "in loving memory of Goan hills" (on the background of the deforestation that is taking place in Goa)
The traditional brass band
Cartoon characters
A colorful feeling
The king Momo's float
King Momo
Foreign entertainers
Art forms
The exciting carnival venue
The joker
Bollywood star and model Pooja Bedi also participated in the Goan carnival
The human caterpillar
The sunflowers
They all participated in the carnival float parade. The float parade was led by the beautiful and colourful float of the one and only King Momo.
There was a variety in the floats, be it a traditional float or a commercial one. Each float had a message stressing on unity, a message of togetherness, a message of happiness, a message of peace.
To add more there were many competitions like fancy dress, khell tiatre, folk dances and so on.
Our special corresondent Ares adds:
Panaji: Waving to the thousands of spectators dotting city's main road, the King Momo, on Saturday declared three-days of fun and merry making as state ushered in the Carnival celebrations.
D B Bandodkar road, a city lane named after Goa's first chief minister, was chok-a-block with tourists and spectators who patiently waited for almost three and half hours to see the float matgnificient parade. The lead float was of the tourism department which had King Momo escorted on it. Goa's deputy chief minister Dr wilfred d'souza flagged off the parade which passed along the Mandovi river in the capital city.
The traditional, creative and even informative floats made their presence felt during the float parade which also had a folk dance performers entertaining 40,000-odd crowd which witnessed the parade by standing at every possible point -- even on trees.
The parade which waded through three-kilometres long stretch was organised by the state-government appointed committee led by dr dsouza which had Goa tourism development corporation (GTDC) playing pivotal role in it.
Considering the security threat, police presence at every corner was visible. There was no law and order problem throughout the parade though the traffic congestion due to diversion of traffic through other lanes marked the evening.
"It's something fantastic.. It's fun... It's different from Brazil but we admire it because it is much decent," Marcov Eullette, a British tourist, commented.
The state government predicts that around 30,000 tourists will flock for next three days merely to see carnival parade. Following Panaji, the parades are also organised in major cities including Vasco, Margao and Mapusa.
"This is a state festival and it is marked on the tourism calender. We are promoting it because it a great tourism booster," Dr Wilfred D'Souza, deputy chief minister, stated.
Besides the float parade, the traditional carnival revelries also began in the rural goa with many functions planned for next three days. The carnival is meant to be a feasting-drinking-merrymaking orgy just before the austere 40 days of Lent season.
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Also read:
Daijiworld's Coverage of Previous Carnival: