Heralding spring, the Goan way
The Shigmo festival, marked by a colourful pageant taken through major cities of Goa, exhibits the spirit of bonhomie the land of beaches is acclaimed for, say Rajbir Deswal & Chander Koumdi

During our 10-day sojourn in Goa, we not only relished its scenic beaches but also its famous kaju feni, buildings, churches, and the laidback but friendly attitude of the locals. Driving from the Miramar beach to the Old Secretariat in Panaji, our vehicle suddenly came to a halt near the Kala Academy Bhawan. In front of us was a huge, three-dimensional, multi-coloured figure of a demon, with stretched arms and a blood-soaked tongue hanging out. The entire traffic had slowed down as commuters tried to take a peek at mammoth figures mounted on floats. Curious to know about the line-up of the floats, we craned our necks out of the vehicle and were told that the preparations for Shigmotsav had begun.

PHALGUN FESTIVITY: The floats at the annual Shigmo spectacle depict characters and scenes from Hindu mythology

The Shigmo festival is celebrated for nearly 10 days in the month of Phalgun. From the ninth day to the 15th day of the ascending moon, a beautiful procession is taken out in half a dozen major cities of Goa, including Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco, Margao and Ponda. The pageant consists of dancing men and women and a row of tableaux.

This parade is watched with keen interest by thousands of locals and tourists, who line up behind erected barricades on both sides of the road.

The annual Shigmo spectacle is being organised for the past couple of decades. The local communities in collaboration with the state Tourist Department organise the Shigmo procession. To encourage participation, prizes ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh are given to the entries outstanding in floats, group dancing, fancy dress, etc.

The themes of dance performances largely concentrate on the Maratha warfare and dwell on legendary rulers of the state like the Rashtrakuts, Kadambs, Silahars, Chalukyas, Bahamani Muslims and the Portuguese.

MUSICAL BONANZA: Folk dances by men and women are part of the vibrant procession

Folk dances are performed by men and women in groups of not less than 20 participants. The number of artistes can go even beyond 50 in a group. Solo fancy dress performances feature in the pageant as interludes to dance movements accompanied with drumbeats — called dhols and tashas in the local dialect. Huge flags are held high by participants and the musical hysteria that is created, enthuses the onlookers too to sway with the beats.

The month of March marks a lean period in agricultural activities. About a fortnight before the event, naman ensues, during which the consumption of meat is prohibited. Naman is followed by jot, which symbolises devotion through music, dance and colours. The pageantry exhibits both joy and contentment and a spirit of bonhomie — usually associated with the Goan society. Lord Parshuram, as the legend goes, created this land of Goa.

When the floats glide on the road, they command a huge applause from spectators. Several months of effort goes into making these floats. The characters and themes are derived mostly from Hindu scriptures. Sita-haran; Draupadi’s vastar-haran, and Lord Krishna coming to her help; Luv-Kush taking on the might of Lord Rama by trying to tame the Divine Horse after the Ashwamegh Yajna; conquest of Ravana’s Lanka; Ganesha undertaking a parikrama around his parents Shiva and Parvati; raslila of Krishan and Gopikas; and the demons being killed in duels are the favourite themes of these floats.

The three-dimensional figures go up to about 5 to 7 metres in height and 25 to 40 metres in length. Some of the figures move mechanically, conveying the attributes of the character they are depicting. 

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