Z for Zagor

Zagor is an age old traditional festival in Siolim area of Goa, in which Hindus and Christians jointly celebrate the harvest.

Siolim is a small hamlet thirty minutes away from the famous Calangute beach of Goa, On the first Monday after Christmas, Hindu and Christian residents of the waddo, or hamlet, of Dando congregate on an open plot of land to keep a night-long vigil and appease the deity who is believed to protect the village. The zagor, or wake, begins with prayers that are unmistakably Christian, though the sing-song chants are said to have been drawn from the abhangs of Sant Tukaram, Maharashtra's poet-saint. And the wizened priest leading the congregation is a Hindu villager from the toddy-tapper caste who does this just once a year.

Zagor - Night wake

The main priests' annual ritual is preceded by 40 days of abstinence when he stays away from non-vegetarian food and prepares for the zagor with prayers and rehearsals with the villagers. The proceedings begin with a procession from the house of his neighbours, with a coconut ritually offered to the deity. The procession halts at wayside crosses and Hindu shrines, including St Annae's chapel. Traditionally, three hymns are sung by Hindus and Christians at the chapel before the procession moves on. Then the Hindus make offerings of oil while the Catholics offer candles at the chapel.

At prayers before Zagorio, as the formless deity is called, the priest offers salutations to the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The ritual five hymns are followed by traditional dances and folk theatre enacted by the villagers, hereditary participants whose roles are inherited through generations which marks the essence of the main celebration. Principal characters like the firangi-raja (white lord), mali (gardener), malin (gardener's wife), mahar (untouchable), etc, represent Goan society as it evolved through the years.

Zagor procession

The all-night vigil is also helped by the Konkani tiatr, or theatre, where skits on political and social issues are performed.

Musical performance

People offer oil, candles and even cigarettes and feni (a local intoxicant) in thanksgiving. The khazan-style of agriculture unique to this region enables paddy cultivation, Pisciculture and salt manufacture on the same land, by regulating the ingress of seawater.

With the Siolim zagor now firmly on the tourist agenda, hereditary participants in the zagor have money in their pockets. The festival is now facing its problem with communism and moving towards extinction. Growing prosperity, though, poses a bigger danger. With the spread of education, entire Catholic families are migrating out thereby altering the colour of the zagor.

Aditya Sinha

30.04.2016

That’s for today with Z. 

So I have cleared the challenge ---- HURRAH ! 

List of Other Festivals : Anant Chaturdashi, Akshay Tritiya ,Buddha Purnima, Basant Panchmi, Baisakhi,  Chhatha, Diwali/Deepawali, Easter, Festival of Breaking Fast - Eid ul Fitr, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Id-ul-Zoha or Bakra-Eid , Janmashtmi , Karva Chauth, Lohri, Mahavir Jayanti, Nag Panchmi, Onam, Pongal , Queer Facts , Ramnavmi , Simhastha, Teej, Ullambana or Ghost Festival, Vijaydashmi , Wangala, Xmas, Yamdvitiya, Zagor

For my parallel second Challenge blog with A pls visit : Let the Soul Pour

For other A to Z challenge blogs visit : A to Z Challenge 2016

Z for Zenith of all travel routes - Manali - Leh - Ladakh drive

This post is written for A to Z Challenge.

Z for Zenith of all travel routes - Manali - Leh - Ladakh drive

Standing at Rohtang for onward journey - Leh 479 km

Memories of life time travel - it has to be the Leh Ladakh road trip. The colourful monasteries, steep curves, snow-topped peaks, double humped camels, burning sun, freezing winds and a destination that comes straight out of the world of fantasies. Ladakh shares its border with Pakistan in north west, China in north and Tibet in east. Khardungla pass in J&K is the highest motor able road of the world. Leh can be reached both ways from Srinagar in J&K and Manali in HP. 

Views enroute

The most adventures route is the Manali - Leh road from where one can descend to Srinagar and thus enjoy the entire panorama at its best. Photographers around the world wait for the Rohtang pass to open up its jaws for the road trip, that takes one through the steep curves of Keylong, followed by riverside camps amidst mountains at Jispa, and the beautiful roads of Baralacha La that leaves one spell bound by its beauty. 

Once in Leh, one should relax and let your body acclimatize to this sudden change of altitude. One should spend time here to visit to Nurbha valley to feel the White sand dunes and double humped camel rides.Another well known place is the color changing Pangong Tso lake located next to China border through Changla pass which leaves one awfully smitten by its beauty. This is the “3 idiot’s” lake.

Pangong Tso Lake 

A small village in the valley enroute to Keylong

Waterfall

Manali -Leh route: is about 534 km long, out of which 350 km is void of civilization. For 365 km on this highway, there is no fuel pump or ATM as well. Thus, travelling on this highway needs proper amount of planning. On this route and one can plan for night halt at Sarchu ( if wants to cover in two days or Keylong and Sarchu if in three days one way.

Manali

The route will cover Manali – Rohtang – Gramphu – Koksar – Keylong – Jispa – Darcha – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La  – Bharatpur – Sarchu – Gata Loops – NakeeLa – Lachulung La – Pang - Tanglang La – Gya - Upshi - Karu – Leh

I have already discussed of the route and places of interest in Manali and up to Rohtang and then to Keylong while writing about these places in detail. From Keylong, Leh is 414 kms. 

Vegetable fields around Keylong

Jispa

Manali to Sarchu is 226 Kms and covers Rohtang Pass (13050 ft), Lahaul Valley, Tandi, Keylong, Jispa, Darcha and Sarchu through Baralacha Pass(16020 ft). 

The river at Sissu

Sarchu

The second day is Sarchu to Leh about 307 Km. which moves through Nakeela and Lachangla Pass (16,617 ft.) Pang, Skyangchu Thang (Biggest and Highest Plateau on Earth on Stretch of 42 Kms), Tanglang La Pass (17,585ft) and Indus Valley and reach Leh by evening. There are Hotels there for night stay. 

Streams on the road

If one has time one can stay there for one or two days and enjoy visiting 1.  Leh to Lamayuru to Ule (160 Kms) to see Liker Monastery and Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, the breathtaking Moon landscapes and the Lamayuru monastery (Oldest Monastery in Ladakh). 2. Leh to Pangong Lake (320 Kms) – (14,500 ft), through Changla Pass 17,350 ft., third highest motorable road in the world.  Pangong is also  highest salt water Lake in the World, shared by two countries India & China. 3. Leh to Nubra Valley(120 Kms) via Khardungla (Highest Motorable road in the World,18,380 ft). to explore Deskit and Hunder Villages and enjoy camel Safari in Sand Dunes between Deskit and Hunder Village. 

Gata Loop

Leh

Leh to Sri Nagar : Srinagar-Leh Highway, also known as National Highway – 1D (NH – 1D), is 434 kms long. It is a lifeline in terms of road connectivity between Leh – Ladakh and other parts of India, en-route Kashmir Valley. This, one of the two ways to reach Ladakh, is a more reliable one than other: Leh- Manali. Along the highway flows the river Indus. On your way to Leh, you come across a number of passes, in which three of the important ones are Zozi La (3528 m), Namki La (3815 m) and Fotu La (4108 m). As we have come through Manali Leh route we can descend through this route to Srinagar. 

The Khardung Pass and World's highest road

On the Leh to Srinagar trip, one will visit beautiful villages, war memorial, Himalayan valleys, a mountain top Gurudwara, monasteries and many more exciting facts of Ladakh.

The route from Leh to Srinagar will cover Leh - Saspol - Lamayaru - Mulbek - Kargil - Drass - Zozi La - Sonmarg and Srinagar in J&K.

That's with Z .  So its complete . ..... No I left X in the way. As X is for 'Xtra which can not come before the end. So next is X.

For other posts on Himachal written as part of A to Z Challenge : List of post on Himachal Pradesh written as part of A to Z challenge.

Aditya Sinha

For other participants in the challenge visit : A to Z Challenge