The spirit of Carnival lay scattered across South Goa, and despite the main attraction on Sunday being in Margao, the festival came alive in the villages on Saturday with the float parade in Benaulim village setting the tone for merriment.
If Benaulim robbed the sheen from Margao it was because the participation at the former was spontaneous – the enthusiasm was visible among both, participants and tourists who joined the locals to soak in the fun.
“The atmosphere is different here compared to Panjim. I was told the people from the south are livelier, but didn’t notice it. Everyone seemed more interest in recording instead of enjoying the music,” said Abijit from North India.
“There are hundreds more people here, in Margao, but all are just standing, watching and recording the processions. I cannot see any one dancing. It was fun in Benaulim,” said Eva as she danced to the rhythm of the music being played.
Eva and her friends, like many other tourists, found the celebrations in Margao distanced from fun. “People seem to have come, here, to Margao to watch the float parade rather than to join the fun. This appears to be a static picnic,” observed Oslen, from Norway, who drove from Varca to Margao.
For the visitors, there was another setback, the absence of drinking water on a Sunday in Margao. Locals came prepared with their water bottles, but tourists had to endure parched tongues.
“We’re thirsty and cannot find water or any bar open along the route. A beer would be great now,” said Greg, as he and his friends walked along the route seeking an open bar for a swig of beer.
“It is too crowded. It was more fun yesterday (at Benaulim), leisurely and spaced out compared to the rush and heat out here. It felt more like a festival yesterday,” said Tom as he and his friends decided to return as the sun began to set.
“These floats seem to tell stories, and are not an opportunity for people to mix and dance on the streets. I thought it would be a moving dance floor with no restrictions to dance,” said Flossy.
Carnival in villages is not as commercialised as it is in the cities though floats are now part of the caravan of fun, and not exactly in tune with the customs of the past, where the festival was about splashing water and throwing colours on friends.
Carnival kicked off in Panjim on Saturday, moved to Margao on Sunday, stops at Vasco on Monday, and culminates in Mapusa on Tuesday.
After Benaulim, the essence of floats has already got wings in Curtorim and Navelim (both in South Goa), and Morjim and Arambol in North Goa.
In the past, these three dances – 'Fat, Fat Saturday' held at Varca, 'Festa de Leques' at Sinquetim in Navelim' and the 'Red and Black Dance' in Panjim were the cornerstones of the festival.
The 'Fat, Fat Saturday' dance has been revived this year after a long sabbatical; 'Festa de Leques' has not been held for long; and the 'Red and Black Dance' is the only one that is organised regularly.
Carnival 2025 showed that fun-lovers have kept away inhibitions and are ready to have fun. If anything, the first two days of Carnival showed that the bodies are willing and the spirits are flowing unhindered.