The official celebrations with float processions start at PONDA on 26 March and come to MAPUSA on Easter Sunday. QUEPEM celebrates Shigmo on 28 March whileSanvordem-CURCHOREM and PERNEM celebrates it on 29 March.SANGUEM has a colourful 30 March and VASCO brightens up its financial year ending.
It's not an April Fool prank in BICHOLIM and PANAJI celebrates it on the weekend. The Sunday celebrations are in MARGAO and VALPOI. Flaviano's CUNCOLIM joins the parade on 4 April before CANACONA Chaudi calls it a day on 05 April.[ For details go to www.goatourism.nic or refer to local newspapers]
It is time for the heavy beat of the drums and the clang of the cymbals. The men in the street whoop and shout while they dance the ROMTA-MELL. The floats are traditionally led by two men holding the toran or the TARANG--a strip of decorative cloth cut like a toothed saw and a number of mango leaves strung across or on the poles at either end. A number of HAPTAGIR or spade-shaped standards , DWAJA [cylindrical white and red standards] and SONNTRI or red velvet umbrella [which normally accompanies a palkhi {idol of the deity on a palanquin}, or a bridegroom].[ For details see artcle by Ciifford da Silva in 'Goa Traveller' of March-April 2005 or Diamond's PLUS tabloids of March 2004]
The Shigmo in Goa is a variant of the SHIMGA [shim= border]of Maharashtra and the BONDERAM of Divar. It is essentially a border marking exercise which has become a fun tradition. The enemities of yester years have transformed into a healthy competition. While in Bonderam [ feast of flags, celebrated at Malar-Divar on World Goa Day, i.e. 20 August, and at Piedade-Divar on the Saturday after that ] it was about the Communidades and their territory, in Shigmo it was obviously about the Devasthan lands. In both it was about who would get the levy or cultivation tax from the farmer and till which boundary. The communidades marked these areas just before the Kharif crop [ Sorddhache pik] while the devastans looked at the Rabi crop [vaingonn] and perhaps the cashew and mango crop as well.
Last month we had a violent settlement of such a dispute between the Shree Bhumika devasthan or temple followers and original inhabitants[goankars] of Kasarpal-Vadaval and the the follwers of the Shree Kalika temple who are Vaid Brahmans or goldsmiths from all over the Konkan. The dispute was over the rights to auction of the cashew and mango harvest [usufruct] during the summer of 2005. The colours of this shigmo was scarlet and entirely natural. It was blood. The goldsmiths won their case in the court of law, the goankars settled the dispute the traditional way. It was not dealt wiothan iron hand, they settled it with iron rods wielded like swords and spears of yore. It is a stalemate.
Whether it is shigmo or holi it is not 'holy' as per the traditional Western understanding of religion. The prayers are offered at the boundary or the SHIM to the SHIMMECHO DEVCHAR [Boundary Devil] or KSHETRA RAKSHAK [Area Protector]. The spirited beat of the drum is , more often than not, sustained by a generous inflow of the local spirit. In Goa it was maad or maaddachi feni till the Portuguese brought in the cashew and the locals learnt how to make a potent brew out of it. The gulal or falgu is mostly vermillion. It could also be yellow, green or blue indigo. Vegetable colours were the only thing in the good old days. They are being promoted once again.
This shigmo is very important because the fading BJP and the resurgent MGP will be defining their electoral boundaries. The Madkai Lion has already laid his hands on the Priol Lotus for the Zilla Panchayat elections. In Cumbarjua, the Lion is getting ready to keep the Congress Hand at bay. Coalition is one thing, submission is another. With Tai gone, Raut all but routed and the Anna and the white-haired Lion in the Congress, the MGP is redefining itself. In the ex-Minister, it has found a good strategist. It is financially better off, even if one takes Parrikar's 10% claim at half its face value. Should the MGP manage to get one of the proven capacity Bhandari leaders from the BJP or Congress back in its fold, there will be no stopping it. Watch the beat this shigmo, it will determine who dances to whose tune when the suspension of the Goa Legislative Assembly is revoked and a Government is re-instated. Luizinho might have played the Pied Piper in February but one could well say, today, the carnival is over.
It reminds me of the old fable about the "Lion and the Mouse". It is possible that the MGP Lion was released from the BJP trap by the small and apparently insignificant creature that has been scurrying from the Congress to the UGDP, to BJP to UGDP, to Congress and now to NCP....the one and only Mickkey mouse!!! One needs a little of "bhang" tirth and a dudh peda or two to figure this out. Holi Hai!
Viva Shigmo.
Miguel
