In this village of Goa, people celebrate Holi with fire shower!
Panaji, Mar 7: Holi is celebrated with colours in India but the scene is a bit different, even scary for some, in Malcarnem village in Goa where people shower hot embers on their bodies, a unique tradition associated with the festival in the country.
In many states, the festival of Holi begins the next day after people burn pyres of wood, marking the end of the evil holika', on the previous night.
However, people in Malcornem village, located 80 km away from Panaji in South Goa, follow a different and unique celebration, which they have been observing for centuries.
"No one has a record of when this tradition started. But 'Sheni Ujo' is an integral part of our temple culture. Once a year, this tradition is observed on the eve of the Holi festival," said Kushta Gaonkar, a village resident.
In Konkani, "sheni" means dry cow dung cake and the word "ujo" stands for fire.
On the night before Holi, hundreds of people start gathering in the open spaces between various temples including Shree Mallikarjun, Shree Vagrodev, and Shree Jhalmidev where the "Sheni Ujo" ritual is performed.
Vagrodev temple is dedicated to a tiger with the idol of the wild beast being worshipped for several decades.
The entire cluster of temples is unique as they house 43 Shivlings.
According to Gaonkar, the preparation for "Sheni Ujo" begins a fortnight before the Holi festival. Those who want to participate in the ritual have to follow a strict vegetarian diet and have to follow pious living.
On the night ahead of Holi, villagers gather at an open space with three huge trunks of betel nut trees for performing various rituals that culminate into "Sheni Ujo.
"You have to be barefoot while performing all these rituals. The rituals continue the entire night. The participants run around the temples before gathering on a nearby ground. In the wee hours, they light cow dung cakes and throw embers on themselves," said another villager, Sonu Gaonkar.
Spectators can also run under the falling embers on the occasion.
On March 6 night, the festival was celebrated with a traditional fervour with the participants performing "Sheni Ujo" amid loud cheers and a crescendo of traditional music against the backdrop of darkness, part of it illuminated by the "shower of embers".
"It is believed that if you run through this fire, the sins committed by you in the previous year will be forgiven. It is also believed that diseases will be cured," Gaonkar added.
When asked if people get injured, Gaonkar claimed no such incident had occurred in decades.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
