Goa Carnival - A Most Spectacular Event Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

Many at the carnival parade gather
as music keeps playing louder and louder
and dancers keep tapping their feet with a synchrony
while tableaus known as floats roll out one by one
with their own theme, rhythm and charisma;
no bar on food, drinks or dress-code
no limits on fun, frolic and entertainment
as people in thousands gather on the streets
to watch the carnival parade and its revelry.

And whether it is a child or an adult,
whether it is the youth, elderly or the old,
everyone opts to rush out of their houses
to view the merriment on that day in their cities;
and even if they have to stand for hours,
they all wait and watch with enthusiasm the carnival
without any qualms or discriminations.

Yes, the carnival is such a fantastic event,
it makes Goa feel proud to celebrate carnival
as thousands of people from all over India,
all over the world and all over Goa rush
to witness the parade of floats and dancers,
whether there is a war in some country
or whether there is COVID-19 in our own cities.

And as carnival is a festival most dear
to the heart of every Goan
as the fun and frolic it beholds is so reveling
that people forget their worries and hardships for three days
and partake splendidly in all the amusement and entertainment
with frenzy and vivacity which is so action-packed
that every one keeps enjoying the carnival days
with good attitude, humor and avid cooperation.

Yes, Goa celebrates the carnival
with such unity and joyfulness,
with such simplicity and exuberance
that the fervor and passion of carnival
is vivid and rolling in the veins of every Goan
as the baton of celebration of carnival has been passed on
to every child and every family since many generations
that every street echoes with - 'Viva Carnaval, Viva Carnaval'
and the show goes on with incomparable pomp and gaiety.