The Shigmo or the Goan Carnival celebrations may be terminated this year due to rising covid cases.

Try this PYQ from CSP 2017:

Q.Consider the following pairs:

Traditions                                            Communities

1. Chaliha Sahib Festival              —          Sindhis
2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra                —          Gonds
3. Wari-Warkari                            —          Santhals

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) None of the above

What is Shigmo or Shigmotsav?

• Shigmo is the celebration of a ‘rich, golden harvest of paddy’ by the tribal communities of Goa.
• Agricultural communities including the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips celebrate the festival that also marks the onset of spring.
• Shigmo celebrations last over a fortnight in the months of Phalgun-Chaitra months of the Hindu calendar that correspond with March-April every year.

Various activities in celebrations

• The festival begins with ‘Naman’ that is the invocation of the local folk deities on the village ‘maand’ or the village stage.
• It is held to the beats of percussion instruments like the Ghumat, Dhol, Mhadle and Tashe by the male folk.
• This is called the ‘romta mell’ that moves from one village to another.
• The celebration is replete with traditional, colourful costumes, mythological installations, painted faces and costumes of various hues.
• Folk dances like Ghodemodini (a dance of equestrian warriors), Gopha and Phugadi are among the many dances performed by the participating communities.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now