Traditions Of Different Regions
Which Are Affected By The Seasons
I Will Be Taking The State Of Goa As An Example
In Goa, everything depends upon the weather and the seasons. From the clothes people wear, to the food we eat. Even the people's occupations change depending on the seasons. Tourism is Goa, is one aspect that gets impacted by the weather a lot.
Food
During the summers, most people prefer eating the staple rice, curry and fish, but however during the monsoon months, people prefer eating meat, like chicken, due to the lack of fishing activities along these months. During mid-monsoon, we have the Carnival over here, where there is food for all kinds of people. Different preparations to suit each and everyone's tastes. Most of these delicacies are seafood accompanied by livestock cooked to perfection. Some important dishes include: Sorpatel, Lobsters and Beef Vindaloo. And during winters, most grandparents force their young ones to have a bowl of chicken soup or other traditional Goan dishes. A special dish that's made only on special occasions like festivals and weddings is: Sorpatel. A deep fried dish of pork with a very spicy sauce.
Prawn Balcao
Made only during the end of the rainy season towards the beginning of the winters.
Sorpotel
Made only on special occasions especially during the winters.
Beef Vindaloo
A special dish served during the winters and summers only.
Festivals
During the month of June, to celebrate the new monsoon season and the feast of St. John there's the fun-filled Sao Joao Festival that's filled with fun, games and water. Carnival is an annual 4 day festival which begins in the on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday and is a great symbol to the Goan community. Most of the festivals here are religious but do have some connection to the seasons, like the Sao Joao festival for instance.
Dances Of Goa
There are many traditional forms of dances in Goa, but they are being over-shadowed by the modern dance forms. Goan dances are of two types: The traditional ones and the Portuguese era ones. Some traditional dances which have survived the Portuguese era and still thrive are Fugadi, Kunbi dance (A tribal dance) and Talgadi. These dances are usually performed on special occasions like feasts and fairs.
Clothes
In Goa, everyone dresses up differently. The kids and teens prefer casuals while the grown-ups prefer more formal attire while the elders of the family often wear comfortable tunics. The clothing says a lot about your family. However, people's clothing changes with the seasons. During summers, it's not rare to see people in very loose cotton clothes heading for the beach, while in the monsoon, you can see many students enduring the heavy rain in their raincoats and sandals. While in the winter, people prefer a light jacket over a piece of clothing and trousers or long skirts.
Songs
There are many kinds of songs in Goa. Some traditional ones include: Dhalo (A wedding song), Dulpod and Fell. These songs are played on homemade 'instruments' like the ghumat and dhol. The Portuguese brought along with them the piano, mandolin and violin in Goa and since then there are many up and coming Goan singers and performers. And it's always a treat to see them play and sing at the local Church.
Comparison
Goa's tradition is one of a kind, but has some close links with Daman and Diu and in terms of it's food, can also be compared to Mumbai. It's customs, mainly the Catholic customs have directly come from Portugal so we can say that they are similar and along the coast of East Africa, some Goan settlements used to be there and so some traces of Goa can be found there, according to my late grandfather.