What is Shigmo festival about?

Shigmo parade is a street festival filled with colors, music, dance and float parade. The life of a Goan is depicted in elaborate folk performances by local men and women who dance tirelessly in huge processions along with the parade.

History of Shigmo Festival

Traditionally Shigmo Festival was celebrated as spring’s biggest festival which honored the homecoming of the warriors who had left their homes and families at the end of Dusshera to fight the invaders. Traditional folk dances and enactment of mythological scenes is the major highlight of this parade.

Ghode Modni and Fugdi Dance Performances

Traditional folk dances like Ghode Modni and Fugdi are performed on streets in massive troupes along the procession, showcasing the tradition of Goa. The shimmering floats with extensive lighting and sound effects move along with the parade gripping the attention of a huge crowd that alights the streets of Goa. The streets are dotted with Goa’s choicest delicacies.

The Shigmo Festival in Goa is a colour festival celebrated in the month of �Falgun� as per Saka Calendar. During this festival period famous temple �Yatras� are held. Processions are carried out at temples by throwing �gulal� and dancing with god and goddess umbrellas and �Dindis�. This festival celebration is organized in different cities to attract tourists. Processions are carried out in cities with traditional goan dances and modern floats. People are honored for best performance in the procession and best float decorators. 

Being celebrated in the villages, the "Shigmotsav" or Shigmo festival, a grand five-day festival of colours, is also considered as the spring festival of Goa. Its celebrations begin with the Holi, the festival of colours celebrated across the country on Thursday. The festival commemorates the homecoming of the warriors who had left their homes and families at the end of Dussera to fight the invaders. 
During Shigmo festival ripening of the winter crop is also included as a reason for the festivities. By the time it was dusk, artists displayed the martial dances like 'Ghode-morni' or the horse dance. Floats depicting the themes from ancient Hindu scriptures came to delight the crowd. Meanwhile, the visitors were enthralled at the grand celebrations. "It's really good to watch people enjoying and having a great time and fun," said Sarah, a tourist from England. One of the features of the ceremonies was a cavalcade, which was carried out into the streets of Ponda in Goa. 
And the people participated in it while performing the 'Rommatamel' and 'Fugdi' dances. Shigmo festival is celebrated by villages after farming. Now, we have introduced some new features that include some competitions.