Every year, toward the end of May, Margao’s Church of the Holy Spirit celebrates it’s famous Purumentache Fest. This year, the feast was celebrated on 20th May and was attended by people from Margao and the surrounding villages. The feast celebrations include a high mass on the day and an outdoor fair that lasts approximately a week; this is usually in the last week of May.
The Feast of the Pentecost
The feast of Pentecost is also known as the feast of the Holy Spirit. Taking place 50 days after Easter, Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and the early Church. It is celebrated ten days after Ascension Thursday. .Since the Feast of the Ascension occurs forty days after Easter, Pentecost is a moveable feast.
But the feast is not as popular as Christmas or Easter, the latter being somewhat related. This feast has yet to have a large presence in secular culture; it is not a federal holiday and few movies are made with it as a premise. Many evangelical congregations do not even celebrate it for various reasons. To know all this and more, check out this link on Pentecost.
Purumentache Fest
The Purumentache Fest is a big deal in Goa’s commercial capital. The city has celebrated it for years and it is famous all over the state. Prior to the monsoons, people visit the Purumentache Fest in large numbers. It is a time when all shop for every provision conceivable like dry fish, household items, spices, furniture, chillies, masalas and so much more. The fair lines the streets of Margao and is full throughout its duration. And as is customary with any fest or fair in Goa, there are a large number of stalls selling sweets like the ‘reodio’ laddoos, ‘kadio-bodios’, channa, peanuts and more.
So if you find yourself in Margao this week, check out the provisions, the sweets and other trinkets that are on offer during the Purumentache Fest.
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