Goa is the smallest state of India in terms of area and is the fourth smallest in terms of population. The state is counted amongst the most famous tourist destinations in India. The majority of its population lives in the villages. The villages in Goa are famous for their simplicity and colourful lifestyle. The villages of Goa present picturesque views. The wonderful scenic beauty of the villages attracts numerous tourists every year. People belonging to different religions live together in the villages of Goa. A majority of the rural population of Goa is Hindus and the Christians are the second major religious community in Goa. Apart from these, the other prominent religious communities residing in the villages of Goa include the Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, etc. There are only 2 percent scheduled castes living in Goan villages.

The State of Goa has one of the highest literacy rates among all states in India. The literacy rate in the villages of Goa is also quite high. The young children in the villages go to school regularly and they have the scope of pursuing higher education, as there are many colleges and universities established in Goa. The temples and churches play a major role in providing moral education to the villagers in Goan villages. There are only two districts in the state of Goa namely the North Goa and South Goa. The villages of Goa are located into these two districts and can be classified as the villages of North Goa district and villages of South Goa district.

Agriculture is the main occupation in most of the villages of Goa. Like most villages in other parts of India, the villagers in Goa also depend largely on agriculture. They mostly cultivate the crops like long-length bananas (known as "Mundollchim kellim" in local Konkani language), paddy, ragi, maize, jowar, bajra, pulses, the crash crops like coconut, cashew-nut, arecanut, mango, jackfruit, banana, pineapple, etc. However, one of the most important crops cultivated in the villages of Goa is cashew. Apart from all these, the Goan villagers also cultivate a variety of mangoes including mancurade, mussarade, fernandine, xavier, alfonsa, colaco, etc. Tourism is another principal occupation of people in the villages of Goa. They work as tourist guides, or run their own businesses in the beaches and they are also engaged in providing lodging facilities to the tourists. Another major occupation of the Goan villagers is fishing. A majority of the people in the sea-side villages earn their livelihoods from fishing and related activities.

The villages of Goa are famous all over the country for their extraordinary ways of celebrating different fairs and festivals. The people in the villages have great enthusiasm and fervour of celebrating the traditional and religious fairs and festivals. In fact, the festivals have always been an integral part of village life in Goa. The people like to celebrate the festivals with much pomp and cheerfulness. They consider these festivals as great platforms for social interaction and enjoyment. The festivals in the villages of Goa can be classified according to different religions like the Hindu festivals, the Muslim festivals, the Christian festivals, etc. The most widely celebrated Hindu festivals in Goa include Dussehra, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Rakshbandhan or Rakhi, Mahashivratri, Rantha Saptami, Mahalasa Jatra or Vijayarathotsav, Ghodemodni, Rombat, Rangapanchami (Gulal), Festival of Gade, Ramnavami, Chaitra - Pumirna, Mirg, etc. The Muslims in the villages of Goa celebrate the festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, etc.

Apart from the Hindu and Muslim festivals, there are several Christian festivals celebrated in the villages of Goa. Some of the most famous Christian festivals in Goa include the Christmas, Sao Jao Festival, Bonderam, Feast of the Three Kings, Feast of Our Lady of Candelaria, Procession of All Saints of the Franciscan Third Order, Feast of Jesus Nazareth, Feast of Our Lady of Miracles, Festival of Novidades, Fama de Menino Jesus, Feast of Our Lady of Rosary, Feast of St. Fiancis Xavier, Feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, etc. Besides the religious festivals, the other festivals celebrated in the villages of Goa include Mardi Grass, Shigmotsav or Shigmo, Kalas Utsav, Novidade, Zatra of Shri Shantadurga, Goa Carnival, etc. The Goa Carnivals reflect the real spirit of rural Goa, as the villages come alive with a riot of colours, processions, feasts and song and dance extravaganzas.

The villages of Goa are generally densely packed with houses. Alleyways separate the houses and the villagers usually roam on bullock carts, scooters, etc. The houses built in recent years in the Goan villages are mainly of concrete. The second floor of most of the houses is kept open for grain storage. On the other hand, the older houses are made of laterite (red stone) and they were earlier protected from rains by palm frond screens. However in the recent times, the palm frond screens have been replaced by concrete and plastic roller blinds. Apart from the water supplied by municipality, the houses in Goan villages also have traditional wells and roof tanks for alternative source of water.

The villages of Goa, in real sense, are the lands of harmony, amenability and peacefulness. The villagers love to live together and preserve their ancient tradition and culture.