On Monday, the village and its residents were covered in pink gulal, as part of their
Gulalotsav
celebrations, that marked the end of their Shigmo. This grand finale was topped off with their own unique festival,
Topshyo
, that saw devotees jump over a line of fire - some with their kids in tow!
Topshyo - which is also the name of the decorated umbrellas the revellers can be seen dancing under on this day - "marks the end of past rivalry, differences and hatred and makes space for a new beginning. There’s a belief that once you run past the fire, you are forgiven for your past wrong doings and you should start afresh,” says Dilkush Dessai, a temple committee member.
This new beginning is flagged off with an elaborate ceremony, where men place hay in a diagonal line near the temple, set it on fire, and then proceed to jump over it. The participants - all men - also carry their children across the fire.
The run-up to this event sees a procession of the idol of the goddess on a decorated palanquin, as devotees gather to get a glimpse of her and seek blessings. The revelers dance around the palki, to the beat of drums, while holding topshyo.
"The procession starts at the temple, goes around the pond and the temple and crosses the holi (fire) to mark the end of Shigmo,” says Dilkush
For this village in Quepem, Shigmo is spread over a few days, and wherein they celebrate Navami, Gade, Sutak, Dindya Bhovar, Diwja, Sotryo and Topshyo. “Our Shigmo festival began on Thursday, and it ended with Holi today, said Gurudas Dessai, another temple committee member.
During this time, the villagers also apply
gulaal
to each other, and though they use multiple colours, pink is given utmost priority, so much so that it seems like the whole place in bathed in the colour. “There’s no specific reason why we use the pink colour predominantly, though it is the colour that is associated with the festival, and which people have been using since the longest time,” says Dilkush.
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