Sao Joao is being celebrated with great pomp across the state today. The festivity will take on a colour of its own with Goans wearingheadgears called ‘kopel’, adorned with fresh flowers and sometimes even fruitand chanting out ‘Viva Re Sao Joao’. Every village bursts out with life as the monsoons bring on a new energy to add flavour for this festival. However, some villages go out of their way to invite others to join in their own celebrations.
In Saligao, the annual ‘Vangodd de
Saligao’ will be celebrated for the third year in a row. The Mae De Deus
Church, Saligao, the PPC, the youth and villagers of Saligao are all set to
entertain the crowds today, June 24, 2018 from 10:30am onwards at Mae De Deus
church, Saligao. The 19 small Christian communities or ‘somudai’are coming
together to cultural programs and the food.
The programme will begin with a prayer
near the church well followed by a brass band leading the procession to the
venue. The program will include folk dances, Konkani songs and music and
culminate with piping hot Goan traditional food. “The villagers have worked so
hard with practising their songs and dances and cooking. Our village of Saligao
has been abuzz with activity, with the youth preparing the decorations and
music. The villagers gathered in a home in their respective wards to prepare
the Goan lunch and sweets. It's going to be ‘xit’, delicious ‘samarache codi’,
pickles, ‘von’, ‘pez’, ‘doce’ and seasonal fruits like jackfruit, mangoes,
pineapples and bananas,” says Clarice Vaz, a noted artist and proud resident of
Saligao.
The Socorro Socio Art and Cultural
Festival Association supported by Botanical Society of Goa will be celebrating
the 'Ponsachem Fest' (Jackfruit Festival). The villagers have made hundreds of
colourful ‘kopels’ for the participants of the Sao Joao in Socorro. The
festival will begin with a short prayer at the Socorro church and then a
procession to mark the beginning of the Ponsachem Fest at 3pm at Socorro Church
Grounds, Socorro. Besides servings of fresh jackfruit, the jackfruit infused
menu will include dishes like Jaffee (jackfruit coffee), jackfruit biryani,
jackfruit boiled seeds and also a display of jackfruit products from India and
Vietnam. The eco friendly festival will also be having entertainment in the
form of ‘Ghumtacho Naaz’, Konkani music, comedy skits, Goan dances and live
demonstrations about jackfruits.
For 14 years now, Thomas Fernandes from Pomburpa has been
leading the village Sao Joao celebrations with the blow of a whistle, quite
literally. The 70-year-old from Arao Ward in Pomburpa is a strict
disciplinarian and the villagers respect him by following his instructions. The
villagers will be jumping in ten wells in the ward with permission from the
families and each one will be monitored by Thomas Fernandes, who will blow the
whistle for youngsters to jump in the well and get out of the well in a
synchronised pattern. “The celebrations begin at 3pm and we meet at the First
Cross near the St John the Baptist Well. We say the prayers and then sing
Mandos. I blow the whistle and they are allowed to jump in the well and enjoy a
swim. After around ten minutes, I’ll blow the whistle again and they all have
to come out of the well,” says Thomas. The celebrations will end with prayers
at the St Cajetan Chapel before sunset.
Newly married couples serve an assortment of fresh fruits called
‘dhali’ but no alcohol is allowed at this celebration. The villagers clean
their wells by May and the Health Department in the village gives them
medicinal powder to keep their wells clean. “The celebrations are a part of the
village and people from different communities come together as one to jump in
the wells. We say prayers at the Zagracho Khuris or the Sao Joao Cross, which
is over 150 years old. This year, the owner of the cross is allowing us to
construct a shelter for the cross. Every member will be wearing a colourful
‘kopel’ and the celebrations will end by sundown,” says Thomas.
Held for more than a quarter of a century, Siolim Sao Joao
Traditional Boat Festival is a hard to miss annual festival that attracts
revellers from different parts of Goa. This year, the festivity will begin at
3:30pm with the boat parade comprising boats making their way through the river
to the creek opposite the St Anthony Church. The Cross will be crowned with a
colourful flower ‘kopel’ and the participants will get on stage to introduce
themselves and sing a song. Boats from Siolim and the neighbouring villages of
Vagator, Chapora, Anjuna, Badem and Assagao are annual participants. The best
decorated boat will be awarded prizes.
The
entertainment for the evening will include songs by noted tiatrist Succor de St
Cruz, singer O’Luv and Johnny Be Good and Bushka will also perform on the stage
set on the banks of the creek. There will be prizes for the best ‘kopel’ as
well as loads of spot prizes including the farthest travelled revellers. Some
spot prizes comprise a gold coin. There will be a fireworks display to conclude
the event. All one has to do is dress in colourful clothes and wear the most
decorative and artistically prepared headgear out of flowers and fresh fruits.
The best ‘kopels’ will be awarded in junior and senior category. All spot
prizes will be awarded in gold.