Panaji, Apr 22(TNN): The Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) on Saturday submitted a memorandum to art and culture minister Govind Gaude to accord Shigmo the status of state heritage festival.

“Shigmo is a part of Goa’s traditional culture just as the festivals Rannmale and Zaagor are. These festivals are not celebrated across borders and are seen only in Goa. I am therefore interested in giving this festival a heritage status,” Gaude told STOI.

He added that he will go through the rules and regulations laid out by the art and culture department with regards to giving heritage status to the festival and decide accordingly. “I will have to place this memorandum before my cabinet colleagues, discuss it with chief minister Manohar Parrikar, and accordingly appoint a committee of cultural experts who can help us go about the process,” he said.

Shigmo is annually held with processions and festivities taking place all across the state every year. Folk dances like ‘ghode modni’ and ‘fugdi’ are performed on the streets in massive troupes who walk together in a procession playing large musical instruments like ‘dhol’, ‘tasha’ and flutes.

“Unlike Holi celebrations in the rest of the country, the Shigmo holds unique significance to Goa for the manner in which it is celebrated. It is held right from the village level to the city spaces and across communities in Goa,” said GHAG chairperson Cezar Pinto.