The land of sun, sand, surf and casinos is all set to celebrate the annual Goa Carnival 2014, kick starting from the 1st of March, amid very warm weather. This year the Goa Carnival will be a non-stop 4-day festival of color, songs, music, food and celebration. Here’s a look at the itinerary of events and the weather in Goa during the Carnival.
Events
Goa Carnival 2014 will feature float parades in four cities, namely, Panaji, Margao, Vasco and Mapusa. The float parade will be led by King Momo, a ceremonial figure who proclaims the decree of eat, drink and merry.
The highlights of the four day festival will be dance shows by Brazilian samba dancers and live music performances by musicians at venues across the state. There will be special performances by Kailash Kher, rock band Agnee, Rabbi Shergill, Raghu Dixit and Sona Mahapatra at the festival.
For the first time ever the state will also host a Food & Cultural event where visitors will not only get to taste local Goan cuisine but also cuisines from 15 other states of India. An all Goa cooking competition which will be judged by a celebrity chef will also be held during the Food festival.
The parade will also be star studded this year as the the cast of soon to be released Hindi film 'Youngistaan' (featuring Jackky Bhagnani and Neha Sharma) will participate in the float parade on March 1.
Goa Carnival 2014 will welcome more than 2.5 lakh tourists.
Weather
Tourists, locals and performers will have to bear with the very warm weather in Goa during the annual Carnival. Maximums will settle between 32 and 35⁰C. Sun screens below 40 spf will fail to protect your beautiful skin if you plan to flaunt your curvy body in minimal clothes. Humidity of up to 90% will add to the discomfort so drinking plenty of fluids will become a necessary.
Cool nights will become even more cool (on the 2nd and 3rd of March) as the minimums may drop to settle around 20⁰C, forcing you to wear some light woolen. Moderate land winds (north-easterlies from Maharashtra) of up to 20 kmph will be perfect for a stroll by the beach with your darling.
Festivals of Goa
The word 'carnival' is said to be derived from the Latin word 'Carne', meaning meat, and 'Vale'. Some link the word to 'Carnislevamen' or the pleasures and enjoyment of meat during the festivities, before the abstinence from meat and alcohol during the period of Lent which follows right after the carnival.
Goa celebrates throughout the year and therefore the Goa Carnival 2014 doesn't mark the end of festivities. Next on the state calendar is Shigmo, the spring festival, which would be celebrated between March 16 and March 31. This will then be followed by a five-day cashew and coconut festival in May.
Photo by rediff.
