Culture of Goa

 This article is about the culture of natives of the Indian state of Goa. Goans are commonly said to be born with music and football in their blood. This is because football and music are deeply entrenched in Goan culture.

Old Goa is considered to be the heart of Goan culture and religion.

As per the 1851 census, Christians constituted 64.5% and Hindus 35.5% of the Goan population.[1] Within Goa, there has been a steady decline of Christianity due to Goan emigration, and a steady rise of Hinduism and Islam, due to non-Goan immigration. Conversion seems to play little role in the demographic change. As per the 2011 census, Hindus constituted 65%, Christians constituted 27% and Muslims constituted 6% within the state of Goa. Smaller minorities of about 0.1% each followed Sikhism, Buddhism, or Jainism. Goa has a history of communal harmony.

The most popular celebrations in the Indian state of Goa are the Goa Carnival, (Konkani:Intruz), São João (Feast of John the Baptist)[2] Ganesh Chaturthi (Konkani:Chavoth),[3 ),[3] Diwali,[4] Christmas (Konkani: ) Natalam aster (Konkani: Paskanchem Fest), Samvatsar Padvo or Sanvsar Padvo, Shigmo,[6] The largest festival in the state is the Feast of St. Francis Xavier (Goicho Saib).[7] Goa is also known for its New Year's celebrations. The Goan Carnival is known to attract a large number of tourists.

Around two-thirds of Goans speak Konkani as their first language, while the remaining speak other languages, such as Hindi and Marathi as their primary language. However, almost all Goans can speak and understand Konkani. Konkani is an important part of the Goan identity that binds together all Goans.

Goa developed an international reputation in the 1960s as one of the prime stops on the legendary India-Nepal "hippie trail". In the mid-1960s, several Westerners, including "Eight Finger Eddie" walked over the hill to Calangute, and decided to create a community for Westerners. In the early years, Calangute and Baga were the center of this scene, but it grew over the years to include other nearby cities like Anjuna Beach, which became, and arguably still is, the center of the Western youth culture of Goa. By the mid-1980s, there were over 8000 Westerners living in Goa, mostly from Western Europe. The scene was marked by drug culture, trance music and free love. Goa remains today an international center of youth culture.

Starting in the late 1990s, Goa began to attract a more "upscale" audience, which in turn drove prices up, which in turn drove many in the "hippie" community to other less-expensive areas. Arambol—the beach community furthest away from "civilization", like electricity and running water—became the center of a battle between those wanting to turn Goa into a more traditional upscale resort area, and those wanting Goa to retain its traditional rustic counterculture appeal.

Date:19/04/2021

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