Each and every Church in Goa has its own patron saint and every year
there is a Church Feast. Certain Churches in Goa like the Milages Church at Mapusa have two patron saints and therefore two feasts.
Nine days of preparation called the Novenas precede the feast day.
The day preceding the Novenas is the day of the Fama. The Fama involves hoisting the
photo of the patron saint of the church atop a pole which is planted in the Church square.
We bring to you the leading Church feasts of Goa along with other leading Catholic festivals.
This feast is celebrated to commemorate the visit of the three Kings to Infant Jesus. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after January 1 every year. It is celebrated in Reis Magos in North Goa. In South Goa it is celebrated at Cuelim (Cansaulim) and Chandor.
Pomburpa 2nd February
This is a procession of about 30 statues of saints belonging to
the Franciscan Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi at Goa Velha.
This is the only other place in world, besides Rome in Italy to observe this unique festival.
Huge crowds of people from all walks of life, gather at Goa Velha as the statues in
the Procession of Saints or Santachem Pursaum (in Konkani) are taken around the village from St
Andrews Church. This festival is celebarted every year on the fifth Monday of Lent.
Easter is celebrated all over Goa at end of March to early April. The date varies as it is fixed by the lunar calendar.
Sridao celebrates this feast which falls on the first sunday after Easter.
This feast is celebrated at Mapusa, the 15 days after Easter which falls on a Monday.
This feast is celebrated all over Goa on 15th August. For this feast a special sweet called patoyos is prepared. This is made of a paste of ground local rice spread over turmeric leaves and stuffed with a mixture of dal, scraped coconut and jaggery.
This is celebrated on 24 August. It is the Offering of the first sheaves of the rice crop.
Celebrated in Chinchinim sometime in September.
This feast is celebrated at Colva. Monday of 12th to 18th Oct
This feast is celebrated at Navelim on the 3rd wednesday of November.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa is celebrated at Old Goa on December 3 every year. Huge crowds of people from all over Goa throng Old Goa for the feast. This day is a public holiday in Goa.
This feast is celebrated at Panaji on 8 December every year.
Christmas is celebrated all over Goa on 25 December. It commemorates the birth of Jesus
and is the biggest Catholic festival in Goa. Christmas is the time when you will find delicacies like Neuros, Dodol, Bebinca, Kulkuls, Doce and cocada to mention just a
few in almost every Goan Catholic home.
Homes as well as a lot of public places are brightly decorated with lights, Stars and an assortment of other decorations.
Whole cities as well as villages undergo a total transformation. There are a lot of dances and other public entertainment during this season.