São João Goa: A festival of food, fun and frolic, and a tradition to be kept alive

São João Goa: A festival of food, fun and frolic, and a tradition to be kept alive

The festival today has become a major draw for tourists in the state and has turned into a “complete package of merriment and joy”

FPJ Features DeskUpdated: Saturday, June 25, 2022, 10:36 PM IST
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Photo: Shruti Pandit

Goans celebrated the feast of St John the Baptist on June 24. The feast commemorates St John baptising Jesus Christ on the river Jordan. It is also celebrated to thank mother nature and rain gods for the gifts to humankind. It is marked by people jumping in water bodies (well, ponds or rivers) wearing colourful crowns made from flowers and fruits, called Kopel, parading in the village and chanting “São João! Viva São João”. Konkani songs are sung to the rhythm of ghumott and cansaim, villagers gather near the water body... At some places, cross at the local altar is worshipped, and later one of the oldest person of the waddo or village jumps into a water body along with the cross, fruits and a bottle of alcohol. The fruits and alcohol are later distributed among the people present.

Also part of the celebration is a boat parade. The Siolim boat parade is one of the most popular. Prizes for best decked boat are looked forward to. This parade later culminates into food, fun and frolic near Fernandes waddo where live band plays and the locals sell their chorizo-poiee and other fare. The festival today has become a major draw for tourists in the state and has turned into a “complete package of merriment and joy” according to Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).

Photo: Shruti Pandit

Nation-wide presence

Social media influencer and marketing professional, Flexcia Dsouza consciously brings out the hidden gems of Goa’s places, events, and festivals. Sharing her childhood memories, Flexcia narrates, “I would head out with my friends to the Siolim São João boat parade, which was quite a spectacle. Today, as a lifestyle and travel content creator, I visit the local festivities in Siolim with my friends and document this unique Goan festival for my audience, who hail from different parts of India.”

Shweta Naik, reminisces her newly-married days. “In our village, the newly married couples used to jump in the well to take blessings. Even six-month-olds were thrown in for the blessings of water deities!”

The change

In today’s rapidly changing world, holding on to traditions in their purest form is difficult. Every generation adds its twists and quirks to festivals.

Lui Fernandes, singer of O Re São João, says he doesn’t mind the change or commercialisation of the festival as long as the tradition is kept alive. “I celebrate São João by going to Church in the morning. We then jump in the wells, play ghumott, modis and kansallis and dance in the rain. The festival is special to me as it symbolises the sacrament of baptism. It’s also a festival for the newly-weds and son-in-laws. However, it is too commercialised. It doesn’t matter as long as one keeps the tradition alive by celebrating the feast with discipline and by spreading love and happiness.”

Photo: Shruti Pandit

Cultural activist Marius Fernandes has a different story to tell. “The traditional São João took a turn for the worse due to alcohol and recklessness. But, I along with the late Fr Santana Carvalho decided to celebrate it differently. We

introduced alcohol-free celebrations, which included going back to our roots. We brought back the old tradition of sharing food, reviving old-age dancers along with ghumott, madale and kottieos. These festivals were held in Pomburpa, Salvador do Mondo, Socorro and Saligao and out of the celebrations came the Ponsachem Fest and the revival of the rain fruits of Goa,” Marius reveals.

Mamta Naik, a lawyer, points out that the onus of keeping traditions alive is on the new generation. “Every festival has a deep meaning and is meant to make one a better person. Hence, we must make our minds open to learn and protect the wealth of festivals, tradition, culture and diversity that Goa is blessed with,” Mamta explains.

(With inputs from TGLife)

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