*2009: Feni Festival initiated at the Big Foot now at The Spirit of Goa, Panjim*
Ancestral Goa, the Big Foot in Loutolim is a hub exploring a comprehensive research of Goa’s traditional heritage, the centre aims to preserve and promote Goa’s intangible cultural identity and provides an encyclopedic overview of the characteristic customs which lend to Goa’s distinct uniqueness. Ancestral Goa has in the past hosted events endorsing the Goan way of life, the symbiotic relationship man shares with nature and the spirit of Goa: The Feni Festival, later renamed Coco’ju Fest was an effort made to alter the negative connotations associated with Feni as a solely alcoholic beverage, instead promoting the positive attributes of the locally sourced and produced drink. Conceptualized and initiated in the year 2009, the Big Foot Feni Festival saw a successful run of celebrations annually spanning 9 years. The achievements of the festival include, felicitating toddy tapers and alcohol manufacturers, launching a book based on the process behind feni, various competitions ranging from essay writing, drawing to photography and the launch of a new feni product by a Goan manufacturer among others. This year however, the Coco’ju movement stepped out of the village of Lotoulim and entered into the Spirit of Goa Festival hosted by the Goa Tourism in Panaji from the 6th to the 8th of April 2018. The stall at the festival had descriptive panels explaining the benefits of feni and the social role of feni in different contexts, as medicine, during celebrations and in the kitchen. Guests could glean from the panels interesting information: how feni is mixed with ground herbs and used as a salve to help cure aches and bruises or how feni is used to draw a ‘xim’ or boundary to mark the close of wedding celebrations or even how feni is used as a preservative in various meat preparations. As an added interactive attraction, guests were invited to take a seat in the palanquin and capture memories for keeps. -- - Ancestral Goa Big Foot - Loutolim www.ancestralgoa.com www.facebook.com/bigfootgoa www.bigfootgoa.com
