Understanding 'Gosany' during Shigmo among the tribes of Goa

Katia Goes

Gosany refers to a community of people that move in procession and have a musical form of narrating stories of Indian saints during Shigmotsav.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Gosany | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Let us walk through some of the different types of musical narrations during the festival of Shigmo in Goa and understand what they mean.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Women | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Fag: Narrating the happiness that the villagers feel while performing Shigmo.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Dance

Jat: A narration of mythological stories. The text of the same depicts the very lifestyle of that particular community, neglecting the sequences of original incidents in mythical texts.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Tali: A narration requesting blessings from the deities and spirits, and demanding prosperity for the village, particularly an abundance in food grains.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Lavni: Almost like a Jat but narrating conventional stories and life values.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Pavado: Independent songs narrating incidences of historical importance that may not necessarily be related to kings or lords, but rather incidences that took place in that particular region.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

Sakarat: A mythical song depicting the mystical and ritualistic experiences of a sage or similar mythological stories.

Goa | Shigmo | Festivals of India | Tradition | Music | Photo: Folk dances of Goa by Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar

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