Whose Carnaval is it anyway, Carnaval is not a catholic religious custom, nobody claims it so. It has not to be certified so by any authority religious or political. Which religious community has been celebrating it , observing it over centuries?. Is it the majority community then to whom it can be attributed? It is in the negative. The church of late tried to intervene, advise against so called vulgarity, indecency and blatant use of drugs The advice was not particularly heeded as all the Catholics were not a party to it and some aberrations, even though they are rare cannot be attributed to adversely black paint the community. It is not only during carnival that there is abuse of all vices, There are rave parties, beach gatherings, international music shows, which are occasions for such evils. The Catholics over the centuries have been celebrating this event in a low key, but festivities were always associated with it
It is after 3 days of so called fun and merriment, that only the Catholics begin fast and penance starting with ash Wednesdays immediately after the third day of carnival, Hence it is albeit a traditions, custom followed only by the Catholics, as their way of life .Sigmo is being celebrated by the majority community, who never participated in Carnaval celebrations or attend and vice versa In the past the carnival was confined to villages.People dressed in colourful attire for the occasion.Khell , the country play was the most significant act of entertainment, in the absence of TV, films and even radio. Going about in masks,completely disguised , in groups ,visiting houses, selling items and then identification, guessing of the masked people was a favourite pastime. The Khell travelled on foot , even cooked on the site and staged the plays on the ground .The Regidor was the village authority to act as censor of the plays People were showered with talcum powder, indigo applied and water splashed, specially on the 3 day of the carnival, Powder cocoketes(missiles were dangerous and were abhorred by the people and those resorting indiscriminately to such sports were severely dealt with.To day water balloons are thrown at people , on vehicles causing serious injuries, The police patrol on the last day to avoid untoward incidents Then Govt stepped in to attract the tourists and centralised it in 3 major cities, Panjim, Margao, Mapusa, The trade, industry, specially the hotel industry joined hands to popularise for their own ends.Even Municipalities staged a few show for the public, Thus the village initiative moved to the cities, attracting huge crowds to observe the float parades led by King MomoIt created extreme problems of congestions, blockage of transport In the south the famous dances in Navelim, Sinquetim, Orlim were huge draws The red and black outfit at Orlim, entrance was restricted In Salcette at place called Dandeavado was the most popular, exclusive spot for staging Khell. People from far and wide almost stayed put with food for the whole day till no plays were staged after 8 p.m. due to lack of electricity. Contributions from people of the place till day carry on with the traditions To day dances are very where, even the hotels add to the carnival flavour on their premises. The carnival has now spread to all cities vying with each other to hold to shows with attractive incentives The variety of masks , head gear available for carnal is mind boggling, though expensive. The tourist local and international seem to have fun and half naked women this year preceded with gay abandoned the King Momofloat. If it was not indecent exposure, vulgarity at its best, which found its way with the approval of the organisers was not in good taste., Imitating Caranval celebration of Brazil in Goa has no parallel Brazil attracts hordes of tourist for this occasion adding to its revenue Why do we cry hoarse about the carnival celebrations in Goa raising religious controversies? The support of people participation in unprecedented numbers at all venues, indicates that people have ignored the pompous advice New traditions always raise eye brows in the beginning, but gain in strength as we go along creating new traditions and encouraging economic activities, The Govt, Naturally will consider it as priority not only to divide on religious lines nelson Lopes Chinchinim
