This Diwali, Skip The Crowds And Discover Goa’s Hidden Gems

While most of India lights up with diyas and prayers during Diwali, Goa celebrates with a different kind of energy. Narakasur Chaturdashi, the state’s unique prelude to the festival, bursts to life with towering effigies, firecrackers, and street parades. Across villages and towns, young men spend weeks crafting larger-than-life Narakasur idols, painting them in grotesque yet enchanting hues. By early morning, these effigies are set ablaze, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness, and locals celebrate with traditional food, gifts, and the crushing of a bitter berry, called kareet, underfoot. Visiting Mapusa, Margao, Panjim, or Bicholim during this time is a spectacle—crowds gather well before sunrise to witness the processions, the crackle of flames, and fireworks illuminating the Goan sky.