Carnival
One of the most colorful and popular festival of Goa is the Goa Carnival. This three day extravaganza, of fun, frolic, amusement and merry-making, takes place in the month of February. The Goa Carnival festival is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year.

Though essentially a Christian festival, all people of Goa, irrespective of their faith and religion take part in this festival. The word Carnival has been derived from the Latin word "Carnavale" which means to throw away meat. The main highlight of Goan carnival is to have fun by indulging in singing, dancing, feasting, etc. before the 40 day abstinence period of Lent before Easter.

The different kinds of celebrations in the Goa Carnival include singing, dancing, drinking, feasting and various other types of merry making. All major streets of the state become lively with the graceful dances, strumming of guitars, lively processions and many more. Apart from the non-stop festivity, the streets are decorated with vibrant colors and floats.

This festival is celebrated before the starting of Lent that is believed to be the time when Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days in wilderness. As per tradition, during the period of Lent, people are neither supposed to indulge themselves in any kind of celebration nor consume rich foods like meat, fats, dairy products etc. so people thought of celebrating before that. Thus, the carnival originated with a grand party which involved consumption of the varied kinds of rich food by the entire community.