Today, August 23, the vibrant island of Divar comes alive as the Piedade Youth Association (PYA) is all geared up to host the much-awaited ‘Bonderam Festival’, the traditional flag festival of Goa, and celebrate 50 successful years of the association. The festival recalls the centuries-old land disputes between villages on Divar Island and the Portuguese colonial authorities, a time when locals would tear down flags to protest land claims.
Today, the festival transforms this history into a joyous occasion with a colourful flag parade, a fancy-dress competition, and a traditional float parade. The festival features street dancing and music festivals, with bands and performers flocking to Divar Island. It is a significant event that showcases the rich cultural heritage and unique history of Goa and its people. Initially, it was only celebrated within the community, but today people from different parts of the country and the world visit Goa specially to attend this festival.
However, Bonderam Festival is not a state festival, but rather a popular and vibrant cultural festival. While the festival is not a celebration against Portuguese colonial rule in the sense of an anti-colonial uprising, it does originate from a period of tension and resistance related to the Portuguese administration’s land policies. Given the historical significance of the festival, as it reminds one of the repressive rule during the Portuguese regime which lasted for 450 years, it would be in the fitness of things for the Goa government to declare Bonderam Festival as a state festival.
