Beyond its picturesque beaches and revered shacks, there is a Goa that is left unexplored. This year, revisit the coastal town and experience Goa as the epicenter of art and culture. Goa has been a stomping ground for artists, musicians, and tourists for as long as one can remember. As the holiday season kicks in, this party capital of India is brimming with people hoping for a taste of the town’s infamous nightlife. However, there is a side of Goa that visitors often leave unexplored—the one that gives Goa its true identity, shaped through years and years of transatlantic migration and cultural fusion.
Arguably, Goa's earliest settlers were the Kunbi tribes, agriculturist Gawdas, and Velips, including fisher folk like Kharwis and Mhars. These tribes boasted a very colourful and rich history of folk songs, dance, weaving, and agriculture that was set up around a village called the Gaunkaris. As years passed and the town’s name changed, so did the inhabitants. Portuguese docked their ships and soon, Goa’s culture was sifted through an Indo-Portuguese lens, changing the landscape of the region’s architecture, religion, food and culture entirely.
While Goa’s captivating history is veiled under a thick layer of tourism and swanky parties, it’s time that we explore the state’s bustling art and culture scene.
The eighth edition of India's largest arts festival is set to grace the colourful lanes of Goa from 15th -23rd December. While the registration is free, we suggest you lockdown your stays before the year-end tourists snag them up. Spanning across the visual, performing and culinary arts, the festival’s programming includes performances addressing pressing social issues such as arts education and pedagogy, cultural patronage, interdisciplinary discourse, and access to the arts. Brace yourselves for Goa’s cultural charm to leave you truly spellbound.
In the coastal haven of Goa Christmas season becomes an exceptional blend of faith, culture and joy. With the Portuguese influence on the celebrations, locals start the festivities early on, transforming their houses and the streets alike. Nativity scenes, locally known as "krip" are an unmissable Goan Christmas decoration that depict figurines of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the shepherds, and the Wise Men. That is accompanied by traditional Goan cuisines like sorpotel, vindaloo and the sweet, sweet bebinca. Make sure to join the midnight mass for it is a one-of-a-kind experience with all the locals honoring the birth of Christ.
In line with Goa’s interesting traditions, Burning of the Old Man is a fun ritual that brings together the entire community. Children get together and build an 'Old Man' using dry grass, paper, sticks and old clothes. When done, finishing touches are added to 'him', and 'he' is made to sit on a chair or cycle, holding an empty bottle of alcohol. Right when the clock strikes 12, this old man's effigy is burnt to signify the burning of all the sorrow, and pain of the last year so one can start the new year on a fresh, positive note.