Shimgotsav

Celebrated across India, Holi is not just limited to throwing colors at each other and shouting bura na mano Holi hai! It encapsulates much more. Every region has its traditions to mark the festivities, mirroring the diversity of the country. In Maharashtra, specific to the Konkan region, locals have a grand way of observing Shimga, a festivity similar to Holi. Unlike the Northern states, the people of Kokan celebrate Shimga for five days, starting from Phalgun Poornima.

History of Shimga Festival

The Shigmo festival information is acquired from the Puranas. Its origin is often traced back to varied Puranic legends. Consistent with one such legend, Hollika was the aunt of Prahlad who provoked her brother Hiranyakashapu to inflict torture on Prahlad to prevent him from repeating the name of Lord.Consistent with popular saying, Hollika was chased and abused by the people and was finally burnt to death. Others attribute the celebration of this festival to commemorate the death of Putana by Lord Krishna.

As per the truth of Shigmo festival information, it’s believed that this festival is widely known within the memory of the Indian cupid lord Kamadeva caused by the anger of Lord Shiva for the audacity of the previous to disturb him while he was in penance. This festival also commemorates the homecoming of the brave soldiers who had left their families and residential at the highest of Dussehra to fight the invaders. Shigmo is additionally celebrated to welcome spring and is additionally mentioned as a harvest festival.

Along the Konkan Coast, it is believed that with Shimga, God arrives at one’s home to partake in the festivities. Villagers clean their houses and decorate it with paintings, flowers and make beautiful rangoli on the entrance. Later, they shoulder idols of the deities to their houses in palkhis and pray for well-being and prosperity. A colorful procession of people singing and dancing on traditional songs alongside the palkhis with staunch devotion marks the unique celebration. The 5th day of Shimga, also known as Rang Panchami, is reserved for playing Holi with neighbors, as layers of multiple colors transcend societal differences. People of all ages come together to smear each other with organic colors, made from herbal ingredients like neem, kumkum, and haldi. Konkani Holi practices also ensure that the environment is not harmed by harsh chemicals that are present in regular colors. A colorful procession bearing deities on floats starts from the temples in the evening. The parade winds through the streets of Panjim to the sound of drums, flutes and folk songs. It comes to a halt only in the early hours of the morning.

So if you’re getting to visit konkan side in the month of March, you’ve need to be a neighborhood of this cultural celebration of Shigmotsav and knowledge konkan’s vivid culture that’s as beautiful as that gulaal that characterizes it!