Many of the festivals are celebrated by the residents in the villages in honor of local deities. But Christmas, Shigmo (the festival of holi in Goa) and Diwali put the entire region of Goa in to religious rapture. Festa dos Reis (January 6), Carnival (Feb/March), (Feb/March), Igitum, Chalne (May), Sanjuan (June 24) are some other festivals of Goa.

Christmas
Celebrated with great vigor and fervor all over the state. The celebration is a great affair with carols, Christmas cakes, mass prayers, Santa Clauses etc.

Shigmo
The holi festival of India is Shigmo in Goa. Bonfires are lit in the night. The specific feature is the use of colours in celebration. People colour and paint each other with different colours and make the occasion an opportunity to meet and offer
homage to elders.

Diwali
Diwali is an exuberant festival that takes place in November. This is the festival of lights. Rows of lit candles or tiny  earthen bowl-lamps are placed around the houses and on the steps. fireworks explode in the backdrop of the night sky. Sacrificial ceremonies in honor of Goddesses Kali and Lakshmi are conducted during this festival.

Mardi Gras Carnival
It occurs on three days in February or early March. It is meant to be a feasting-drinking-merrymaking orgy just before the 40 days of Lent; a time of abstinence and spirituality. It is Goa's most famous festival and has been celebrated since the 18^th century. Huge parades through the cities are organized with bands, floats and dances and balls in the evenings. The final day concludes with the famous red-and-black dance held by the Clube Nacional in Panjim. The origins of carnival are apparently the hedonistic feasts of ancient Rome and Greece. It made its appearance in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, where it metamorphosed into the very Latin singing-dancing-drinking bouts. The carnival is presided over by King Momo, who on the opening day orders his subjects to party. Hotel bookings must be done in advance for carnival as the festival attracts thousands of tourists.