Viva carnival 2019

Carnival in Goa, also called "Carnaval", "Intruz", "Entrado", [ or (colloquially) "Viva Carnival" ]refers to the festival of carnival, or Mardi Gras, in the Indian State of Goa. Though significantly smaller than the well-known Rio Carnival or the Portuguese Carnival of Madeira, the Goa Carnival is the largest in India and one of the few traditional celebrations of the Catholic holiday in Asia. Despite falling into obscurity during the latter days of the Portuguese colonial rule of Goa, the Goa Carnival was resurrected as a minor street celebration in 1965 and has since turned into a major tourist attraction for the small state.

While the roots of the Carnival in Goa date back to the introduction of Roman Catholic traditions during the Portuguese conquest of Goa, the festival itself fell into obscurity during the later days of colonialism, as Portugal's authoritarian regime known as the Estado Novo limited freedom of assembly and press.

After the end of Portuguese rule, the festival was resurrected by Timoteo Fernandes in 1965, a Goan musician who modeled it after the famed Rio Carnival.Today, the urban parade includes floats from local villages, commercial entities, and cultural groups. It is still organised in a very traditional manner, including by the staging of streetside local plays, in the coastal taluka of Salcete. According to the Government of Goa's Department of Tourism, the carnival is "Goa's most famous festival and has been celebrated since the 18th century.

The Carnival usually starts off on Fat Saturday (known as Sabado Gordo) and concludes on Fat Tuesday (known as 'Shrove Tuesday'), just before Ash Wednesday and the first day of the Catholic season of Lent. In Panjim, the capital of Goa, the festival is complemented by "Grape Escapade", a local Wine festival, and a dance at Samba Square in the centrally-located Garden of Garcia da Orta.

According to local tradition, during Carnival Goa is taken over by King Momo, usually a local resident who presides over the festival during the 4-day span. King Momo traditionally proclaims the Konkani message “Kha, piye aani majja kar” (English: “Eat, drink and make merry”).

In 2018, the festival was celebrated from 2to5 March . In the urban areas, individual float parades were held in the Goan cities and towns of Panjim, Margao, Ponda, Vasco, Curchorem, Mapusa and Morjim.

Source:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_in_Goa