Fishing season to start full swing post Narali Pournima

Keri: Narali Pournima, the Hindu festival that heralds the onset of the fishing season, was celebrated across the state on Thursday, especially by the fishing communities who worship a coconut and offer it to the sea god, Varun.

Though the state government lifted the ban on fishing from July 31, fishing communities in Goa make it a point to resume activities on the full moon day of the fifth month of the Hindu calendar month, Shravan. It is believed that the rough sea, owing to the monsoon, begins to calm after the pournima and that no harm will come to their boats if they venture into the sea after this day.

Traditionally, in Goa, fishermen believe that with the onset of monsoon the breeding season for fish begins, which is why they voluntarily stay away from the sea.

At Chapora jetty in Caisua where the Colvale river meets the Arabian Sea, fisheries minister Nilkanth Halarnkar offered the coconut on behalf of the fishermen after performing the rituals to appease the sea god.

Kamlakant Redkar, 68, a local from Caisua, told TOI that the Shravan pournima is considered to be an auspicious day to embark on fishing activities after the restricted period of two months. “In the past, we used to get a bumper catch. But, now due to various factors, the activity isn’t that profitable.”

“Chapora jetty is one of the important fishing jetties in Bardez where fishing communities from different areas have settled. They begin their new season by invoking the blessings of the folk deity Betal of Chopde and Lord Sidhdeshwar located in the natural cave at the foothill of the Chapora fort. Fisherfolk believe that Betal is the lord of the twenty four ports of the region,” he said.

During the erstwhile Portuguese rule, fishermen who converted to Christianity, observe the feast of St Lawrence in Sinquerim in August, when the sandbars at the mouth of the Mandovi get cleared. The priest blesses the reopening of the navigable channel to herald the fishing season.


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