page_title: Goan Catholics
section_title: Festivals
hierarchical_section_title: Goan Catholics / Culture / Traditions and festivals / Festivals
caption_attribution_description: An unusual Goa Carnival float by the late Alfred Vaz.
context_page_description: Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Christians following the Roman Rite from the state of Goa on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language.
  Seafarers from Portugal arrived in Goa in 1510 CE, and Catholic missionary activities soon followed, as Pope Nicholas V had enacted the Papal bull Romanus Pontifex in 1455 CE which granted the patronage of the propagation of the Christian faith in Asia to the Portuguese.
  Their culture is an amalgam of Indian-Hindu and Portuguese-Christian cultures, with the latter having a more dominant role as Goa had been an overseas colony of Portugal from 1510–1961. The notion of Goan identity as a distinct culture among other Luso-Asians or Luso-Indian cultures was forged into India after the annexation of Goa in 1961. However, contemporary Goan Catholic culture can be best described as an increasingly Anglicised Indo-Latin culture and is widely seen as distinct, both in India and the rest of the world.
context_section_description: Konsachem fest (harvest festival) celebrated on 15 August that involves blessing of new harvests are other Goan Catholic celebrations.
  In addition to common Christian festivals like Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, the community celebrates many other festivals of religious and historical significance. The Zagor (nocturnal vigil in Konkani), mainly celebrated in Siolim, in Bardez taluka, is a festival highlighted by dance, drama and music. The Feast of Saint Francis Xavier, one of the major festivals of the Goan Catholics, is celebrated on 3 December annually to honour the saint's death. Monti Saibinchem Fest or Moti Fest, which commemorates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a major festivals celebrated on 8 September, especially in Chinchinim, Goa. Milagres Saibin is the feast of Our Lady of Miracles, celebrated at the Mapusa, Goa. The Goa Carnival is another major festival in Goa, highlighted with color, songs and music.
caption: Goan Catholics participating at the Intruz (Goan Carnival), late 20th century
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