King Momo rocks Goa with carnival chants

Thousands of revellers throng the streets with traditional fervour
Hundreds of thousands of merry makers, including foreign and Indian tourists, lined up on the streets in the capital city of Panaji last weekend to celebrate the festival of Carnival in the former Portuguese colony of Goa. The four-day (March 5-8) festival of fun and frolic was greeted with great pomp, joy and traditional fervour with men, women and children in colourful dresses with singing and dancing to the drum beats of Konkani and Portuguese folk songs.

King Momo played by Cezar D’Mello accompanied with his queen and surrounded by a bevy of beauties, pronounced last Saturday his decree to the citizens to “eat, drink and make merry” for four-days in Goa.

“Let the Carnival now begin. It’s the rule of the King Momo in the state. Viva Carnival,” he cried out to the loud beating of drums and wild dancing of merry makers, who had gathered in thousands to cheer King Momo. He then led over 100 colourful magnificent float parade, each loaded with colourful women and men dancers, showcasing a variety of themes. The decree of the King of Fun in Goa ends a day before Ash Wednesday.

The outdoor extravaganza mesmerised the jostling crowds with cameras in hands to capture images of floats, vibrant musical dan­ces, colossal parades, various bands, juggling, clowns, and fancy dress shows. A huge group of masked revellers dressed in dazzling costumes, sang and danced to the tunes of renowned folk music in English, Portuguese and Konkani languages.

Sanjay Srivastava, chief secretary of Goa, flagged off the parade at Patto Bridge.