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Feast of St. Francis Xavier
 The feast of saint Francis Xavier is held on 3rd December every year at Velha
Goa or Old Goa which is about 10kms east of Panaji. The mummified body of St.
Francis Xavier is enshrined in a silver casket in one of the chapels of Basilica
of Born Jesus built in 1605 by the Jesuits.
The body of the Saint is exposed to public once every ten years and pilgrims
from all over the world came to pay homage.
Zatra at Cansaulin
Every year on the 6th day of January month, a remarkable Zatra is held at
Cansaulin near Margao to celebrate the arrival of the three kings at Bethlehem.
Three young men from different villages wear wigs and gaudy garments and look
like puppets. Then they climb to a church located on a hillock near the village.
Inside the church is a carved infant Christ. Their entering the church is
a signal for the villagers to start merriment, dance and music. There are
fire-eating, fire walking feasts. This festival is observed with gay abandon.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
 The religious feast of Immaculate Conception of our Lady (Mary) is celebrated
all over Goa on the 15th August. The date of this ceremony differs from place to
place in Goa, but the 15th August is generally common to most parts of Goa. On
that day the farmer cuts the first ears of milk-filled corn from the rice-field
and presents them for God's blessing.
Ladainha or Ladin
Ladainha or Ladin is a thanksgiving ritual
among the Christians of Goa. The Ladin which literally means a litany to the Virgin Mary, is a religious
function of thanksgiving to god for material and spiritual benefits that have
accrued or are sought for, by the persons sponsoring the Ladin. Preparations for
Ladin would begin with the purchase of grams, branco wine, candles, coloured
tinsel paper in the local market. The family altar is bedecked with flowers,
creepers, crotons laid out in vases. The gram soaked in water since morning is
then put on the fire to be boiled and coconut chips are sliced to be mixed with
the boiled grams. The Ladin consists of a litany sung by every one present, to
the accompaniment of the violin, singing of hymns and prayers. The village
choirmaster or a local violinist conducts the show involved in the singing of
the litany.
Muharram, Bakrid and Ramzan
are the festivals celebrated by the
Muslims in Goa.
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