Sangod: The traditional boat festival of Goa
The arrival of the annual monsoons in Goa marks the onset of two things. The growth of lush greenery across the state that account for remarkable views for those who love wandering to different places and festivals of togetherness that showcase the love and culture of the locals. People can be seen flocking to the local markets to gather festive necessities, decorating their homes, and much more to make sure that they can celebrate with all the festive spirit.
The Sangod is a tradition that dates back to the 15th century in the state. It is said that a Vodekar family from the Cambarjua village had once installed the idol of Lord Ganesh in the premises of Sri Shantadurga Kumbharjuvekarin temple when they couldn’t afford to celebrate Chaturthi on account of a financial crisis. On the seventh day of observing Chaturthi, the family took out the idol on a canoe and immersed it in the Cambarjua canal. Since then, the celebration of Sangod has been taking place every year on the seventh day as a symbol of bidding farewell to Lord Ganesh.
To celebrate this festivity, locals from the village of Cambarjua decorate Sangods — canoes tied together and made colourful with villagers dressing up as mythological characters. The worship of the Ganesh idol takes place at the temple twice each day for seven days. On the final day, after the aarti, the idol is taken out on a palki surrounded by musical beats from a ghumot. It is then placed onto a Sangod, which takes seven rounds around the canal before the final immersion.
Over time, this tradition has been picked up by many more villages, which adds to the enthusiastic festive spirit and brings many more people together. Every year, the Cambarjua canal sees around 14–15 sangods decorated with vibrant colours, flowers, garlands form a part of this age-old festive tradition. Often, each sangod depicts a mythological scene with its onboarding villagers dressed up as relevant characters. They then set sail for the seven rounds around the canal accompanied by traditional music played by the villagers. And with the creative elements involved with the making of sangods, local authorities even host competitions to encourage more people to partake in these celebrations.
The beauty of Goan festivities such as Sangod is that the locals here do not shy away from immersing themselves in the celebrations. Each festival held in the state shows how valuable these occasions are to the people and their efforts to make each celebration an event of joy. Sangod is an occasion that not only showcases the love Goans hold towards their beliefs, but also a time when creativity and the spirit of togetherness come alive.
