Feast of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa: a visitor's guide

Every year on 3 December, Old Goa keeps the feast of St Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary whom Goans call Goencho Saib. His relics rest in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, and on feast day tens of thousands of pilgrims from across Goa and neighbouring states gather outside it for Masses that begin before dawn. In 2026 the feast falls on a Thursday, and it is a public holiday across the state.

This is a living religious festival rather than an event staged for visitors, though anyone who comes respectfully is welcome. Expect crowds, early starts, road closures and a good deal of walking. The once-a-decade Exposition, when the saint's body is brought down for public veneration, last ran in 2024–25, so 2026 is an ordinary feast year.

When is the feast, and when does the novena start?

The feast is held on 3 December, the anniversary of the saint's death in 1552. It is on the Government of Goa's list of public holidays for 2026, which places it on Thursday 3 December.

Before it comes the novena, nine days of prayer. In 2025 it ran from 24 November to 2 December, with several Masses each day in a large pandal beside the Basilica, the Blessed Sacrament exposed throughout and priests available for confession. The programme also included Masses in Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Portuguese, and a Mass for pilgrims. The 2025 details were published only days before the novena began, so look for the 2026 programme in late November.

What happens on feast day?

In 2025 there were ten Masses in the pandal, from 3.45 am to an English Mass at 6.15 pm. The heart of the day is the Solemn High Mass at 10.30 am: in 2025 it was led by Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes, with the Archbishop of Goa, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, among the concelebrants. The 2025 timetable below is a guide only, as 2026 times may differ.

UCA News reported more than 12,000 people on the grounds by mid-morning in 2025, with all 10,000 chairs taken and thousands more standing. Many also queue to pray before the relics inside the Basilica, where the mood is quieter. Some come on foot: that year a group of 130 walked 120 km over four days from parishes in Karnataka's Belagavi district, and some families arrived a day early and camped near the Sé Cathedral. Outside, the feast spills into a fair of food stalls, music and vendors, and Goans who live abroad are among the crowd.

• 3.45 am: first Mass of the day
• 5, 6, 7.15 and 8.30 am: early Masses
• 10.30 am: Solemn High Mass
• 12.15, 3.30 and 5 pm: afternoon Masses
• 6.15 pm: closing Mass, in English

Who was St Francis Xavier, and why is his body in Goa?

Francis Xavier was born in 1506 at the castle of Javier in Navarre, now northern Spain, and was one of the first companions of Ignatius of Loyola in founding the Jesuits. He reached Goa in May 1542 after a 13-month voyage from Lisbon, tended the sick in the city's hospitals, worked among the pearl-fishing communities of India's southern coast and sailed on to Japan in 1549. He died on Shangchuan Island, off the coast of China, on 3 December 1552, aged 46, while waiting for a passage to the mainland.

His body reached Goa in March 1554 and now rests in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, consecrated in 1605 and part of the Churches and Convents of Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. He was canonised in 1622.

Will the saint's body be on display in 2026?

No. Outside an Exposition the relics stay in their silver casket on a high pedestal in a side chapel of the Basilica, where you can pray at the tomb but cannot see the body up close. Roughly once a decade the relics are lowered for public veneration.

The 18th Exposition ran for 45 days, from 21 November 2024 to 5 January 2025, with the relics displayed in the nearby Sé Cathedral. Gomantak Times reported that nearly 80 lakh (8 million) devotees were believed to have venerated them.

Getting to Old Goa from Calangute during the feast

Old Goa sits on the Mandovi about 9 km east of Panaji, and Panaji is 13 km from Ocean Palms Goa in Calangute, so the route runs through the capital and on to Old Goa via Ribandar or the Kadamba bypass. During the novena and feast the last stretch changes. The North Goa District Magistrate's 2025 order, covering 24 November to 3 December, closed the road from Old Goa Church junction to Gandhi Circle to all but emergency vehicles, made nearby roads one-way and sent cars to designated parking grounds, so expect to walk the final part.

In 2025 special buses ran from Panaji to Old Goa via Ribandar, and public buses link Calangute with Panaji; our guide to Kadamba buses from Calangute explains how they work. If you would rather not change buses in a crowd, our team can arrange a car with a driver. Agree the pick-up point and time before you get out, because vehicles cannot drive up to the church.

The arrangements are set afresh each year, and the 2025 order was published on 19 November, five days before the novena, so look for the 2026 version in late November. IFFI, the International Film Festival of India, runs in Panaji from 20 to 28 November 2026, so roads through the capital may be busier in the first days of the novena. The 2025 order also gave the vehicles of sick or disabled devotees holding a pass a separate route and parking in Old Goa; if an older relative is coming, find out early how 2026 passes are issued.

What to wear, and how to behave at Mass

Dress as you would for any church service: cover shoulders and knees, leave beachwear for the beach, and wear shoes you can stand and walk in for hours. Carry water and a hat for the walk in from the parking grounds. Our guide to what to wear in Goa's churches and temples goes into more detail.

During Mass, keep phones silent, don't photograph people at prayer, and follow the instructions of volunteers and police. In a crowd this size, carry a photo ID and as little else as possible, keep valuables close, and agree a meeting point in case your group gets separated. In an emergency, call 112, India's single emergency number.

Choosing your day, or a quieter visit

For the full atmosphere, go on feast morning and accept that even the pre-dawn Masses are crowded. Novena days still draw thousands but are calmer, and suit anyone who wants to pray at the Basilica without the crush. If the architecture is your main interest, come on an ordinary day outside the novena: our plan for Old Goa and Panjim in one day and the guide to Old Goa's churches, opening hours and dress code cover both.

Buffet breakfast at Nautilus starts at 7:30 AM (Sky Villa guests can have breakfast at any time), so if you are leaving for an early Mass, take water and something to eat; the fair outside the Basilica has food stalls. On feast morning, allow far more time than the distance suggests for the drive and the walk in.