By Shriya Tandon
India has a rich amalgamation of culture and diversity and even as the smallest state of this country, Goa does not shy away from adding extensively to its cultural richness. The exuberant celebration of the Sao Joao Festival, among other things, substantiates the aforesaid. Sao Joao is a Catholic festival celebrated all over Goa on June 24th to welcome monsoon while also commemorating traditions, beliefs, and history. The festival has a great historical as well as cultural significance and in that, it is dedicated to St. John, the Baptist. When Mary realised that she was pregnant with Jesus, she visited her sister, Elizabeth, who was then pregnant with St. John. On receiving the news of Mary’s pregnancy, St. John leapt with joy in Elizabeth’s womb and later, St. John went on to baptize Jesus in the River Jordan. Therefore, the commemoration of the patron saint is central to the celebration.
An integral accessory worn by the people on the day of the festival is the Copel. It is a floral, leafy headgear and earlier on, these Copels were made with seasonal flowers, fruits, and berries that used to be harvested right before the commencement of Sao Joao. The festivities are kick-started with offering prayers to the Lord and then, it’s time for one of the most favourite customs – the spirited and thrilled people advance towards wells or swimming pools and leap into it with joyous cries. This tradition of leaping into water bodies, usually pools or wells, is a reference to St. John leaping in his mother’s womb and then much later, baptizing Jesus in a river. However, jumping is only part of the activity. The other half of the custom is to retrieve the goods thrown into the well or the pool for the people. They often find fruits such as pineapples, jackfruits, and mangoes, bottles of their local drink Feni, and coconuts in the water. Additionally, the incoming monsoon is celebrated with a traditional rain dance to the songs of a local band or a DJ set-up. Even when the rain disappoints, which comes as no surprise due to the continuously changing climatic conditions, artificial rain dance parties make up for the fun!
The Sao Joao festival is also famous for newly-weds offering prayers in good faith for a child. Another important tradition is that of maidens throwing vegetables and fruits into the water in order to fulfil their wish for the perfect match.
There are several delicacies distinctive not only to Goa but also to the Sao Joao festival. Patoleo is a typical steamed sweet dish made with finely ground rice flour paste which is applied to leaves and later, becomes the base for a coconut filling. Sannas, steamed rice cakes, and Sorpotel, a pork curry, are also typical to Sao Joao. The popular state drink made from cashew or coconut, commonly known as Feni is another essential part of the Sao Joao feast. Newly-wed brides carry baskets of fruits as gifts that are presumably sent by the bride’s mother to their sons-in-law – jackfruit, pineapples and bananas being the favourites. The sons-in-law are also invited for a lavish meal that includes an assortment of distinctive Goan dishes.
Siolim, in North Goa, celebrates the day most elaborately by holding multiple competitions with people from all over Goa coming to participate and witness alike. The boat parade in the Anjuna River is undoubtedly the most famous with thousands of people gathering to observe the healthy spirit of competition and more importantly, to catch a glimpse of the spectacular craftsmanship portrayed by the people in assembling and designing their boats. From dawn to dusk, everyone is engaged in one activity or another, using the festival as a much needed excuse to come together with family and friends in the spirit of love and happiness. The celebrations are much louder in the north and keep getting more and more subdued as we move south.
Festivals such as Sao Joao are often left out in listing important Indian celebrations not only because of their regional specificity and lack of national popularity but also because we don’t often think to give these small festivities the recognition they deserve. Prejudices aside, we are so consumed with ourselves and our national aspirations that making a conscious effort to learn about the relatively smaller constituents of our culture do not strike us as something important. However, we must realize how the knowledge of such festivals not only allows us to understand the scale of our diversity as a nation but also helps us to embrace it. By the virtue of the country that we reside in, we invariably have the available opportunity to engage with our vast culture and experience the heterogeneity that is ever present. If nothing more, the festivals help us witness the different hues of happiness and familial affection. While for someone, bursting crackers in the night is a celebration of happiness, others seek that same contentment by jumping into the water!
