Potekar Festival 2025

Due to the ghoulish get-ups and light-hearted ‘spooking’, Potekar festival of Divar is often likened to Halloween.

However Potekar has its origins in the pre-Portuguese era. It is presumably linked to customs that were practised in the village communes, locally known as the gaunkari system.

First introduced by early settlers in Goa’s coastal villages, the gaunkari system was a way of managing and maintaining village commons such as reclaimed cultivable land, fishing ponds and waterways, based on the principles of collective ownership and distributed responsibilities.

Potekar means ‘shabby’, and the title fits well with the dishevelled look of the men who dress up in costumes and masks. Some believe that the act of frightening children at Potekar was an exercise in teaching children morals and values.

It is also believed that long ago, the people who used to sweep the compounds of houses in the village would come by to demand a reward— hence the unkempt getup and the custom of roaming the village, demanding and receiving snacks and drinks from locals. It is believed that these compound sweepers would walk around, speaking in falsetto voices to hide their identity, all the while being mocked by the youth.

There is no specific programme during these festive days. The islanders, dressed in themes, costumes of animals, and home-made and hand-painted masks, roam around the village carrying a sack. They also wear cowbells on their ankles and around their waists, the ringing of which can be heard across great distances. Crowds are unable to recognise them due to their change in voice and mannerisms.

When they visit homes, people offer food and beverages like goddxem (sweet dish), beer and sometimes even lunch. When children see them or hear the bells jingling, they run for their lives.