Goa Tribal Festival, Xeldem – Celebrating Indigenous Culture and Traditions

6/2/2025

Goa Tribal Festival, Xeldem

Goa Tribal Festival offers a glimpse into the unique culture and traditions of the tribes of Goa and their community. Goa, the smallest state in India, is often the first choice for holiday-goers due to its long stretches of popular beaches. After multiple visits to the beaches in the north and south of Goa, I decided to explore Goa beyond its beaches. I was pleasantly surprised by the fascinating culture and heritage of Goa. I was also left speechless by the passion of the local communities in preserving their customs, traditions, and heritage.

A part of the Goan tribes community has dedicated themselves to preserving the old artifacts from their traditional lifestyle. Others have maintained the spice plantations introduced by the Portuguese, and art and music enthusiasts in Goa have come together to support a common cause.

The tribal festival of Goa is an annual event organized by Christian Adivasi Sangathan to preserve the local traditions of the Goan Christian Tribes. I attended their sixth edition of the festival at Xeldem, Goa, on January 7th and 8th, 2017.

Woman wearing Kunbi, traditional goan saree at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

The event was a vivid representation of tribal culture. Women, dressed in traditional Goan sarees (Kunbi), engaged in cooking their traditional Goan dishes: Fov, Ambil (nachni porridge), Pita Gulio, Pinagre, Donne, Sanna, Pattoleo, Shevyo, and Soji. Meanwhile, men in the playgrounds reveled in their unique traditional tribal games: Logoreani, Ton Barani, and Guli Danda.

Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

The women here communicated with us using sign language due to the language barrier. The earthen cooking and serving pots, bowls, and ladles (serving spoons) made from coconut shells creatively showcased the eco-friendly practices of older traditions.

Woman serving Ambil at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

These ladies were seen cooking on a traditional fireplace (chulha) using traditional utensils.

women cooking in traditional goan style at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

This simple equipment is commonly used to make rice noodles in the traditional way.

women cookin traditional goan noodles at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

The traditional Goan Kunbi sarees were dyed in red and black and woven in large and small squares. These sarees were hung and arranged in this style in olden homes.

Kunbi - traditional goan sarees

These ladies showcased the traditional weaving techniques for mol’la, a palm leaf mat.

Women weaving mats at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

The lady here demonstrates the art of weaving nivoni (paddy grass), san’n (broomsticks), and fulla fati (headbands of flowers).

Women weaving at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

The man is packaging the items woven by the ladies.

We also indulged in Goan traditional cuisine, including prawn salad, prawn curry, fried fish, pumpkin curry, and rice.

Traditional Goa food at Goa Tribal Festival Xeldem

We posed with the beautiful Goan tribal ladies, dressed up for a folk dance. The Goa Tribal Festival was a unique and enriching experience, allowing us to learn about these lesser-known tribal communities of Goa.