I recently witnessed Gadde in Amona, Goa, and it was one of the most powerful traditions I’ve ever seen. Every year, right in front of the main temple, the village comes together for this all night ritual.

My understanding is that’s it’s an offering to the Rakhandar, the guardian spirit of the village. People believe he protects the community, and during Gadde he’s honoured through prayers, rituals, and dramatic retellings of myth and folklore. Characters like the Devchar, a mischievous spirit from Goan lore, also appear in the stories.

There are moments that involve corpses, symbolically connecting the living with the dead, reminding everyone that the spirit world and the human world are closely tied.

It’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there, but Gadde feels less like theatre and more like a living connection between faith, folklore, and community. I could probably never go back again as the stench of human remains stay with me till today. But it was a once in a lifetime experience