Chovoth...Ganesh Festival in Goa.

-









.
Ganesh Chaturthi, we goans call it Chovoth is the most important festival of Hindus in Goa. It is celebrated in large scale in Goa, Maharastra and Karnataka and in some other parts of the country. 
After the Shravan month, On the 4th day Shuklpa Paksha of Bhadrapada, Ganapati is worshipped in most of the Hindu households. Most of the house holds bring the Ganapati idol on the previous day and install the same on the specially decorated seat under matoli. Matoli is a unique form of canopy, decorated with various wild flowers, roots, beetle nuts, coconuts, shoots and mango tree leaves and fruits. It also includes eatable sweets like Modaks, Nevryos etc. 
In Goa, majority of the household celebrate Chovoth for one and half days. In some villages it is for five days, seven days and nine days, depending upon the commitment of worshipers. Entire state of Goa turns into festive mood. You travel to any directin, one will hear the sound of Fugoti or Garnal (fire crackers). You will hear the sounds of cymbals and dholaks, wherein the Aarti or Puja is performed. 
The great Indian freedom fighter and leader  Lokmanya Tilak started Sarvajanik Ganeshostav in 1893 with the intention of seeking support to the freedom struggle and strengthening the unity among masses. It is now celebrated in each and every major towns in Goa. Almost all Sarvajanik Ganeshostavs are celebrated for 11 days in Goa and various social as well as cultural programmes are organized by the village folks.
During Chovoth various traditional sweets called Nevryos , modak, laddu, chakryo are prepared in the Hindu households. Plus the delicacies like, Mangane,  Ross, khatkhate, Ghaati, varan, payas, solkodi, vode and then there scores of bhajjis like dudyachi bhaji, ghosalyachi bhaji, bhendyachi bhaji, muskachi bhaji, talkulyachi bhaji,. These delicacies are shared by Hindu families with their neighbours, including Christians and Muslims. Daily firework displays and the performance of Fugddeo (a narrative song and dance form by ladies) mark the colourful celebrations in Goan homes. This festival of Chovoth is the Hindu equivalent of the festival of Christmas in Goa.
Again Visarjan is an special event in itself. With procession and Bhajani mandalas organizing their own singing programmes.
Chovoth being considered as one of the major Hindu festival in Goa, the migrant work force, who has been working out of state come to Goa and hence there is a huge rush to travel to Goa from Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad et all. Most of the trains and buses are full, with the inter state travel ticket prices soaring twice the normal fare. Similarly the flights to Goa are also full during Ganesh Chaturthi. For the domestic as well as international travellers, it has become a trend to travel to Goa during Ganesh Chaturthi to witness the cultural diversity in Goa.
Incase if you intend to travel to Goa during this Chovoth festival, you can stay at any one of our fully furnished apartments named Bicholim, Pernem at Urba Luxury Service Apartments, Porvorim and enjoy the festival.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Appreciation - Urba Luxury service apartments, Nova Cicade Enclave, Porvorim Goa.

-
So here’s an interesting question for you. With more than 2800 hotels and paying guesthouses operating in Goa, how does an apart-hotel stand out? Meet Ratikant Mandrekar, a Goan real-estate entrepreneur who returned to Goa after spending more than three decades working within the financial sector in Abu Dhabi. During his visits to the Far East, Europe, the United States and the Middle East, Ratikant observed that within hospitality, the trend was shifting from short weekend getaways to extended stays. In Goa in particular, the demographics of tourists was changing from backpackers to business professionals, medical tourists, research students and corporate executives who needed to stay for a number of weeks or months. These travelers preferred a “home” environment rather than rooms at hotel, yet with the same level of amenities as one might expect at a hotel. “I got my inspiration from the service apartments that you can find at the Dubai Marina or at the Jumeirah Lake Towers ...
Read more

LAIRAI JATRA, Shirigao, Bicholim Goa.

-
LAIRAI JATRA at SHIRIGAO, BICHOLIM GOA. In the village of Shirgao in Bicholim taluka lies the temple of Goddess Lairai.   This is a small hamlet about 25 or so kilometres away from Panjim. It is a mining area and the tall mountains have disappeared in the unfettered greed. The whole area wears a cover of oxidised red dust on every visible surface. Even the plants, road side mango trees and the bushes  has red dust on the leaves The deity Lairai, amidst  mining area is famous all over Goa and has itsdevotees spread across Sindhudurg in Maharashtra  as well as Belgaum in Karnataka. It is estimated that every  year thousands of devotees attend annual feast of deity to witness the walking of 'dhond' barefooted through the sacred fire known as Homkunda.  Shirgavchi Jatra, called in local vernacular is an annual event held around April May depending upon  Shudh Panchami day of Vaishakh Hindu calendar month. The jatra brings joy and vigor to...
Read more

Paradigm Shift - Service Apartments in Goa - Corporate Housing!

-
Goa, although highly literary state on the western coast of India, it is lagging behind in  information technology and IT enabled services segment. Unlike Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka, Goa state Governments never took any proactive steps to develop this highly lucrative IT sector. It relies upon its old bastion of mining ore exports and tourism. The young and talented IT graduates have to migrate to Pune or Bangalore or Mumbai seeking job opportunities. Some try their luck in the Middle East.  There is a huge potential as well as demand from corporate sector for IT enabled services in Goa. The Government needs to provide right infrastructure for the convenience of the investors and entrepreneurs. Then only the corporates will take initiative to set up their shops here in Goa.  As far as ITtalents are concerned, there is no dearth of finding any. If  the right opportunities and remuneration is provided, the Job seekers, those who have left Goa, will retur...
Read more