Goa Carnival 2023- Margao

Here’s a bit of a giggle before I begin:

What do you call a bunch of iron atoms at a carnival?

-10 if you say dartboard nails.

+50 if you say “A Ferrous Wheel”

hehe….

My sense of humour is a joke.

So, before ye lot decide to go all oo-de-lally on me funny bones, Imma take ye to the second carnival that I witnessed in the city of Margao in the Indian state of Goa.

The city of Margao is the southernmost major city of Goa. It is a serene place with white sand beaches, peaceful lanes, trendy and relaxing cafes, beach shacks and the regular laid back yet fun crowd that is the trademark of Goa.

I will be talking more about the beaches and the towns in Margao in the upcoming blogs because we were staying in a town called Benaulim throughout our holiday but in this blog, Imma tell you all about the segment of the Goa Carnival that passed through the streets of Benaulim in Margao.

Ye lot can check out the blog on the Vasco Carnival right here.

And now, it’s time for some mad fun:)

Leggo!

I am a simple girl. I see bees and I go all Honey to the B, that’s you for me.

hehe….

Massive props if ye folks know that song:)

The first float of the Margao carnival was this giant bee on a tempo truck, followed by a group of people in bee costumes.

The float symbolised unity and I think it was beautifully depicted with the bees. I mean, no system in the world works as well as a bee hive and I think the little buzzers have a lot to teach us when it comes to skills such as team work, respect for the leader, hard work and biting the troublemakers.

hehe:)

Bees are my spirit animals(or insects). I think they are very aesthetic and cute. They also do a massive amount of work for the Earth and saving the bees is important. That was another message that was beautifully symbolised by this float.

Talking of bees and hard working insects, here’s the next float that pays tribute to another slogging beast.

DRUMROLL!!!!!

The Ant.

Alright, when I first saw this float approach, I thought that was a massive tarantula and it gave me the creeps but this baby up here is a regular hexapod, namely a Fire Ant.

This float didn’t symbolise anything other than strength and fierceness but the tableau was rather daunting and it did give me goose pimples.

The music accompanying this float was very ominous. I almost felt as though the ant was going to come to life and start taking over the city.

Imma move over the entomology and dive into the sea….

Ok, this float was the most random thing ever. After the float with the ant, there was a van with a masque that passed the street, followed by a few revellers and jesters. And then, all of a sudden, in rolled this tableau of a giant prawn and the world didn’t know what hit it.

hehe….

Now, a prawn is very symbolic to the state of Goa since sea creatures are very integral to its coastal way of life. Also, sea food is one of the treasures of Goa so while this float was rather out of the blue, it was a good depiction of Goa’s close relation with the sea.

This was one of my favourite floats in the Carnival. Unicorns are always fascinating and the moment I saw a truck with a masque and a unicorn, I felt the serotonin shoot up.

I absolutely love how the Carnival balances the morals and the fantasy in its floats and how colour is always a constant. Besides, the slight sun-kiss really makes the unicorn stand out and look really celestial.

Apart from the floats, the Goa Carnival also displays a variety of dances, jesters and revellers. The people of Goa unleash the fullest extent of their creative and quirky sides and it leads to some fascinating and hilarious parades.

A scooter duo such as this one is a common site in the carnival. Cross dressing is one of the most common forms of revelry and I absolutely love the stripes and glam pink contrast but the thing that I love the most is the confidence and spirit and the very embodiment of having fun without limits!

See the bride on the scooter in front? He made the whole audience erupt in cheers:) Besides, the rider in the green shirt was speeding to add in the whole runaway bride effect and I was so lucky to get a picture! The duos or trios on the scooters were so random and hilarious, like one moment you’re awestruck with the floats and the next moment, there comes a scooter with a whole new avatar of its passengers and everyone’s ROFL.

The people on scooters also squirt the audience with coloured water and it’s fun to see the revelry. I know that squirting isn’t fun for everyone and a lot of the revellers are mindful not to squirt children or people who are clearly busy or occupied in business other than carnival revels. Besides, carnival in Goa is all fun and games and the people of Goa have this wonderful attitude of having fun and taking things lightly so usually, there’s no harm done:)

The man covered in blood was a highlight of the carnival parade in Margao. He walked around with an axe and pretended to chop people’s heads off. He also had a bloodied head prop made out of plastic and it gave my mum the heebie-jeebies:)

I love it when people bring in a tinge of horror. It brought in a slight Halloween vibe which really enhanced the parade.

Now, you’ve heard about an elf on a shelf….Now get ready for Dracula on an Activa….

Hehe….This man has his life sorted. It is an ardent plea to the people of the world to drop everything and emulate this man’s spirit because I aspire to be this chill in life and frankly, so should ye folks.

Hehe….

I was wondering a bit about his visibility though….I should try riding my scooter with a mask….

Speaking of masks, I bought one for myself and it made my cat question his life choices about picking me as his human….