Bonderam

The Bonderam festival is light-hearted parody of the animosity that existed between two wards of a village during the Portuguese era. The two wards, Piedalda and Sao Mathias, in Divar Island used to engage in bitter property battles that often led to bloodshed and even death. Exasperated at these bickering, the Portuguese authorities demarcated the boundaries of the two wards using colourful flags. However the hatred ran so deep that the warring factions still knocked down the demarcation flags using stones and continued to fight with each other.

Over the years, people of the region have mellowed down and now they celebrate the Bonderam festival in a mock remembrance of the quarrels of the past. The memories of those bloody feuds have become hazy and they now think of these incidents with a light hearted approach. During the Bonderam, Goa, people engage in mock battles using Fotashes, a toy weapon made of bamboo stem.

By the evening the trickle is a deluge. An expectant crowd assembles along either side of the main through fare of the village. The tempo is set by lasses wielding "fotashes" engaging themselves in mock battles. The gaily coloured floats accompanied by colourfully dressed youngsters make a pretty picture. The rival groups, however, knocked down the demarcation flags sometimes with stones. Today, in a parody of the past, this is commemorated with a "Fotash" flight (toy weapon of bamboo stem) and berries are used as missiles in a mock fight between rival groups to knock down an offending flag.On the day, a carnival ambience is created. Each ward of the village has a float at the parade. Though sponsored by business houses, the floats have an unmistakable local favour.

The Bonderam feast takes the form of a carnival with coloured floats strutting down the main thorough fare of the village. Each ward of the village sends a float to the parade and no efforts are spared to outdo each other. The parade is marked by joyous celebrations accompanied by loud music. People from adjoining areas congregate in large numbers for a peek into the unfolding festivities.