Shirgao Lairai Jatra & Fire-Walking Ritual

The Shirgao Lairai Jatra is a major annual Hindu festival in Goa, India held in honor of Goddess Lairai, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. The festival draws thousands of devotees (dhonds) from the region and is based on a legend where the goddess and her followers walked through a fire to save their village.

The festival’s most famous element is the Fire-Walking Ritual (Igitun Chalne). In the early morning, devotees, who undergo weeks of preparation, walk barefoot across a large bed of red-hot embers as an act of faith and spiritual purification. This ritual, along with a procession and traditional dances, is the culmination of the day-long event.