Tribal Life in Goa: An Intrinsic Part of Goan Lifestyle

A popular holiday destination known for its sandy beaches, azure Arabian Sea, salubrious climate and laid back ambience, Goa is a destination of a life time. The people living in Goa are extremely friendly, hospitable and welcoming. The population of Goa also includes the descendants of several ancient tribes. Notwithstanding the fact that the ethnic tribes in Goa form an intrinsic part of Goa, their importance is undermined in comparison to the popular tourism aspects.

 

When it comes to the tribal lifestyle, they firmly follow their ancient practices, customs and routines. It’s not that they are not aware of the modern development in their surroundings, they still preferred to stay connected to their roots. The four chief tribes of Goa include Gowdas, Kunbis, Velips and Dhangars. All these tribes live in segregated villages.

Gowda Tribe 

One of the major tribes in Goa, Gowda tribe inhabits the villages located in the deep interiors of Goa. However, there is no documented fact regarding the migration of Gowda tribal people in Goa. These tribes practice Hindu religion and worship lord Mallikarjun, a form of Lord Shiva. Though they follow Hindu religion firmly, they do not bury dead bodies as per Hindu religion. They are pretty strict in guarding their blood lines and customs. In Gowda tribes, cross-cousin marriages are allowed between paternal and maternal cousins. 

Women Gowda Tribe

In Gowda’s, many rights and powers have been attributed to the women such as working in the agricultural field and inheriting their husband’s property. 

Kunbis Tribe 

Women Kunbis Tribe

Touted as one of the original tribes in Goa, Kunbis Tribe reside in Salcete Taluka. Well known for their pleasant nature, the people of this tribe work hard to earn their livelihood. Initially these people used to follow Hindu religion but were later converted into by the Portuguese. Their folk dance and music is quite popular in Goa. 

Velpis Tribe 

Women Velpis Tribe

In terms of population, the number of Velpis tribes is quite low making it to a few thousands. They are also considered as the original inhabitants of Goa. The members of this tribe mostly reside in the interiors of the forest. Forest-fringed areas such as Canacona, Sanguem and Quepem are the regions where the dwellings of this tribe are found.

Dhangars 

Dhangar Couple Mopa Goa

Migrated from Gujarat, the members of Dhangar tribe are purely propelled and have settled in the northwestern parts of Goa. Members of this tribe are quite pious and religiously worship their god named ‘Bira Deva’. Their festivals are quite vibrant and colorful. Their folk dance is the highlight of these festivals which involves simple footwork on the slow beats of Cymbals and Dhol. The dress worn by these tribal people during the dance performance include turban and Kathiawari style white dress. 

Last to last year in September, these four tribes were included in the scheduled tribe list by the union ministry of tribal welfare. Currently, Goa is holding a five-day tribal art show to throw light on the various aspects of ancient Indian heritage. If you are looking forward to explore Goa's Tribal Life, the best thing is to go online and type 'Goa Trip or Goa Tour'. You'll find a list of tour packages that feature Goa's tribal life as a theme.

To know about adventure activities in Goa, Shopping places, popular churches, festivals in Goa, best time to visit Goa or any other information Enquiry Now.

7 Trends that Are Hot for 2013 Travel!

Yes, every new year entails new trends. So is the case with travel – new and more exotic destinations are being discovered, tourists are turning a lot more adventurous and tourism for offbeat, remote locations are gaining momentum. It sure seems like 2013 travel will present a whole list of new travel trends, some of which we have tried to predict and enlist here:

    1-      Luxury Travel will find a lot more takers this year. With the ever growing Forbes’ lists and the rich becoming a lot more aggressive with their spending patterns, expect a lot more people to sign up for luxury tours. Think about a week in the Alps, or a cruise to Macau, a luxury train tour in India or even a luxurious “safari” in Namibia – the possibilities are endless.

2    2-      Family Tours or Large Group Tours will increase in number. The 2013 adage has changed to “The family that holidays together, stays together”. Already, tour operators across a globe are receiving a flurry of family tour enquiries. The plus side is, you get more than decent discounts on group bookings. And no, there are no negatives at all.

3   3 -      Honeymooners are the newest adventure freaks. Yes, a honeymoon is no longer about rose petals, romantic gondolas and intimate horse rides. Honeymooners today prefer deep sea diving, bungee jumping and fishing for corals. Tour operators can expect a lot of crazy requests from “madly in love” honeymooners.

Travel has evolved continuously over time. And 2013, too, promises to usher in new surprises. Stay glued to this space.

 

Good Times At The Goa Carnival - 2015

Me and my wife love visiting Goa, simply because of the fact that this beach city has a unique feel to it, always vibrant and ever-ready for a party. There is one or the other celebration happening in any nook or corner. This year we decided to attend the Goa Carnival, an amazing, colorful and vibrant festival. The dates were 14^th February to 17^th February. We had heard a lot about this much-awaited festival and so were really excited. Since the hotels are jam-packed during these days, we booked our tickets and rooms well in advance. 

After settling in the hotel, we went out to enjoy the fun. One of the locals informed us a little about the Carnival. The celebration of this carnival had started in Rome and Greece around 500 years old and later in Spain and Portugal. It got introduced in Goa by the Portuguese rulers and since then it is celebrated with much fervor and enthusiasm. It was actually a Christian festival but now it is celebrated by all on a large scale. 

This carnival is celebrated before the traditional festival, Lent,  a 40- day festival. During these days, there are no parties and the locals desist themselves from eating meat and even dairy products. “Now, why is that?’ I asked. She furthered that there is an explanation in the Bible that during these days,  Lord Jesus had spent his time in the wilderness.  Because of this, the whole community follows the same. 

During the Goa Carnival, the streets of the city came alive with everyone indulging and rejoicing while singing, dancing and eating. Huge parades were also organized. There is a belief that this is the time when the legendary king of Chaos, Momo takes over the whole place. Although celebrations happen everywhere – Margoa, Vasco, Mapusa- but the carnival celebration in Panjim is the most-awaited one. The festival came to an end with  red-and-black dance which was held by the Club National in Panajim on the last day of the carnival. 

The preparation of the festival starts from December itself, where along with music, dance and food, there are small skits also that showcase the culture of Goa. There were performances by both local and national artists. If I am asked to sum it up then I would  say that we celebrated good times at the Goa festival.  It was great time fun and an unforgettable experience.

Explore hotels in Goa or browse through Goa tour packages to plan your trip and attend Goa Carnival 2015.