Return to GVPedia

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Facts

When

December 25

 

Where

All over Goa

 

Duration

Celebrations begin mid-December

 

Highlights

Midnight service called Missa de Galo, Christmas parties, concerts, carol singing

Christmas in Goa

 

Midnight mass at Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

Green Christmas

The stars come out, lighting up the unpolluted skies and twinkling like beacons from door fronts. Long-held traditions are observed with grace, and the entire habitat is imbued with the happiness of celebration. Christmas is the festival that mirrors the soul of Goa.

 

Cute Santas astride motorbikes, painstakingly crafted Nativity scenes amidst the lakes, the rustling of silks and satin gowns, the pealing of church bells, the gravitas of the midnight mass – everybody gets wrapped up in the Christmas spirit.

 

From beach picnics to special dances, Goans celebrate Christmas with fervour, the piety as deep as the season’s bonhomie. While most Christians choose to return home for this important festival, Goa attracts several Westerners who want to escape the gloom and cold to celebrate in sunny climes here.