Bonderam Festival: The feast of Bonderam is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of August every year at Divar Island, 12-km from Panjim. On this day, the quaint land of Divar, away from the hustle and bustle of Panjim, is agog with excitement. Melodious music drifts from the village to mainland Old Goa – once the hub of Portuguese Goa – even before the crack of dawn on the Saturday. At noon people begin trickling into the village. 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 lands and lasses wielding “fotashes” engaging themselves in mock battles. The gaily colored floats accompanied by colorfully dressed youngsters make a pretty picture.

Chikhalkala: This unusual festival is celebrated only in the small town of Marcel, about 17 km from Panaji, off the road to the temple town of Ponda. The festival is celebrated on the 11th day of the Hindu lunar month of Aashadh (June–July) and is actually nothing but a collection of various games that Lord Krishna is supposed to have played in his childhood.

This festival is about getting close to Mother Earth, and is celebrated when Goa’s open spaces are full of slush due to heavy rains. The festival is celebrated on a huge village ground which is surrounded by a number of temples. During the rains, the ground is full puddles of water creating a slushy platform for the games. Flowing water is also diverted to the ground to create extra slush.

The township of Marcel has people belonging to all castes and religions, and many of them take part in this mud festival wholeheartedly. Marcel also has lots of Hindu temples. In the olden times, many Hindus migrated to this township with their Gods to escape the religious persecution unleashed by the then Portuguese regime. Naturally, this township has a deep religious ambience with many devotees living here. The Chikhalkala (Mud Festival), is held in the courtyard of the temple of Lord Devki-Krishna, known for the unique idol of Lord Krishna sitting on his mother Devki’s lap, said to be the only one of its kind in India.