Chiranjeevi to open Goa Carnival

Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi will inaugurate the five-day carnival festivities to be held across Goa, beginning February 9.

Chiranjeevi will open the float parade in Panaji on the first day of the festivities, state tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said.

The carnival parades have been an annual feature for the traditional festivities organised across five cities in the state each day.

Parulekar said the parades would be held in the cities of Panaji, Mapusa, Margao, Vasco and one more town, which is yet to be decided. Thousands of locals and tourists witness these parades which are spearheaded by a float of King Momo, a mythological figure who rules the state for three days.

The carnival celebrations were brought to Goa by erstwhile Portuguese rulers and have now become an integral part of Goa's festivity calendar. The minister also said that a Sea Food festival, starting a day ahead, on February 8 would be held at the outskirts of Panaji in the run up for the carnival.