Musical and Traditional events in Goa

MANDO
Mando is an art group song set to Latin - American tune and popular with Goan Catholics that usually has boys and girls standing in two semicircular lines and singing in chorus. The girls wear a 'tollopo' that is a Burmese Sarong - type dress and the theme of the songs sung are mostly frustration and deception in love. Mando songs that are made up with the blend of Goan folk music and church music were first written in 1840. The Mando is the finest creation of Goan Song dealing with love, tragedy and contemporary events, both social and political.
The Mando-Dulpod is a slower variety of the Dulpod (or a quicker sort of Mando), also in six-four time, facilitating the transition from the slow rhythm of the Mando to the quicker one of the Dulpod. The Dulpod is typically descriptive song of everyday life in traditional Goa, particularly that of the Christians.
Groups who are well known to take part in the event are from Merces, Fatorda, Velim, Margao, Sarzora, Nuvem, Raia and others. Mando mostly uses instruments, the main one being Gummot (a percussion instrument), guitar, and violin. When accompanying a song or dance the gumott is usually placed on the left thigh, while the player sits comfortably on a chair. The gumott is essential for a mando performance. A madlem is a cylindrical earthen vessel covered at both ends with the skin of a lizard.
Mando Festival is held every year mostly in the month on December and January in various parts of Goa which has groups competing against each others. The Department of Art and Culture holds this event every at Kala Academy in Panaji with over 40 editions which are held annually. Chinchinim also hosts the mando festival every year and has about 30 editions of mando festivals. The Mando Festival is open for children, teenagers and adult categories in original, traditional, mando dance and opera style.