his section of GOACOM celebrates Goa's diverse but harmonious co-existance of its Hindu and Christian populations. Goa is unique in its intermingling of its various religious celebrations. No more is this more apparent than in the celebration of a "Zagor". A Zagor, which means "nocturnal vigil", is actually a dance-drama that starts out with a processions of Hindus and Christians from their villages, which converges onto the zagor site with exuberant singing and dancing from either side.

In the sections below, we have attempted to provide a glimpse of Goa's cultural diversity. For the sake of better readability, we have separated the Hindu and Christian feasts, but that does a lot of injustice to reality - they belong to be together.

• Shigmo - Hindu Festival of Holi, A festival of colours
  • Pictures, 2000
  • Pictures, 2002
• The Zatra at Shirgao
• Ganpati (Ganesh Chaturthi):
  Ganesh is the elephant-headed God of auspicious beginnings and the remover of obstacles.
  • Article
  • Article
  • Pictures
• Diwali, Pictures from the Hindu New Year
• Dussehra and Pilar feasts
• Haldi-Kukum, a feast unique to the women of Goa
• Nagpancham, A tribute to nature
• Zagor, an expression of Goa's communal harmony
  
  

• Feast of 'Mae de Deus' Church at Saligao
• Feast of 'Passion of Christ' at Siridao
• Feast of Holy Cross at Panarim (Aldona)
• Feast of St. Francis Xavier
• Good Friday Celebrations in Panjim
• Procession of the Saints in Velha Goa
  • Pictures
• Feast of the Holy Spirit Church, Margao
• The feasts of San Joao and St. Peter, Goa's Monsoon festivals
• Bondera at Divar and Sangodd at Cumbharjua
  
  

• Ven. Fr. Agnelo de Souza
  
• Blessed Father Joseph Vaz , awaiting Sainthood
• St. Francis Xavier, Patron Saint of Goa
  
  

• Saint Francis Xavier - website
  
  

• To Cherish and to Share: The Goan Christian Heritage - Paper presented at the 1991 Conference on Goa at the University of Toronto by John Correia Afonso S.J.
• Hindu Festivals with a Difference- How Hindus in Goa celebrate their festivals differently from the rest of India, Goa Today, August 2001
• Goa's vanishing Christians- By Fred Noronha, March 2001
• The Church in a state of change, The Diocesan Synod, Goa Today, March 2002

• Catholic Goans Network