30 Oct 2013, 10:07 am

To give tourists and Goans a feel of the festivities, Goa Tourism will be organizing a special 2-hour Diwali celebrations at Santa Monica cruise boat on November 1.
During the cruise, guests will be treated to entertainment programmes like Goff dance (Goan folk dance), Divli dance performance, Special UV Diwali act and other interesting games.
Following this the guests will then be taken for a midnight bus tour around Panjim to watch the burning of Narkasur effigies
Nilesh Cabral, Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), said, “Diwali is a beautiful festival celebrated with pomp in Goa. For the first time, GTDC is organizing a special 2- hour cruise trip. We want everyone to be a part of these celebrations and enjoy Diwali in a different way.”
Celebrating Diwali – The Goan way
Diwali is also known as ‘diyanchi aali’ meaning row of lamps. Each house is lit with earthenware vessels containing oil and wick, also called the ‘diulis’ in Konkani. Akashdeeps - colorful lanterns are hung at the windows of every house, which adds to the festive fervour.
Most of the Goan households celebrate Diwali in a traditional manner. The rituals begin with Choti Diwali – Narakchaturdashi and go on to Vhaddli (big) Diwali – Tulsi Lagna. Most Hindu marriages begin after the auspicious Tulsi Lagna.
Choti Diwali - A typical Goan Diwali ritual starts with abhyangasnaan – bathing in oil and uttane (fragrant water) in the early wee hours of morning.
Vhaddli Diwali – The Tulsi Lagna is celebrated on the 12th day of Diwali and termed as Vhaddli Diwali/harvest festival. The farmers treat this as an auspicious day as they bring home the rice from the fields and thank Goa for the great harvest.
Goan delicacies during Diwali
The main item for diwali is the ‘Flat rice or fov’ (pohe). Fov or pohe in prepared in different ways.
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