This year, Goa is all set to host the second Annual Heritage Festival which promises to be bigger and better than the previous year. The festival will be held at Saligao Football Ground from 7 to 11 January, 2014. It will be inaugurated by Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar in presence of Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, MLA & GTDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral, Secretary Tourism Parimal Rai, Sarpanch of Saligao Eknath Oraskar and other dignitaries.
Organised by the Department of Tourism & Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), the event celebrates the arts, culture, history that showcases the Goan spirit bringing together host of talented performers and artisans to create a unique experience for the tourists.
During the five day festival, Goan artisans and craftsmen will display their skills and crafts with live demonstrations. There will be stalls exhibiting and promoting unique Goan crafts like pottery, woodcraft, crochet, marco, handicrafts, coconut craft, hand painted tiles etc. The event will also feature various food stalls serving traditional Goan cuisine, managed by local artisans/self help groups.
Besides this, a special gallery will be set up to exhibit ancient Goan heritage photographs, Great Goans in History, traditional way of life of Goans, Historic moments of Goan history captured through pictures, etc. There will also be a section of heritage items used earlier by Goans. A special section on Saligao Village will showcase the history of the church, the Historic temple of Goddess Sharvani, the history of Saligao village and the heritage houses in the village.
As part of the Goa Heritage Festival, a seminar has been organised on 11 January on Goan Heritage at the Saligao Panchayat Hall. Eminent personalities from around Goa will be felicitated during the festival to appreciate their contribution in various fields.
