The Goan spirit is synonymous with the words affability and cheerfulness and even the monsoons do not dampen our capacity to have fun. When the first rains fall and the wells and rivers fill up, when the song of the frog mingles with the sweet scent of the dry earth soaking up the life giving raindrops it can only mean one thing – San Joao is around the corner. A festival unique to Goa. A legacy of the Portuguese cultural influence. Come the 24 th of June and people of all communities will be dancing in the rain! ROCHELLE PINTO reports.

V ILLAGE LADS and men folk taking the ceremonial dive into the wells and rivulets to the shouts of “Viva San Joao” and the ladies busy in their preparations of the traditional sweets paint the familiar yet unique portrait of this Goan fiesta. The traditional leaf and flower crowns {Kopel} will adorn the heads of the newly married men while the young brides will be the victims of many a good-natured dousing. For the young and the young at heart the festival of San Joao is the perfect excuse to chill out and get soaked in the rain sans the fear of being scolded for it. Bottles of flaming Feni and urak will be uncorked to liven up the ‘spirit’ and the delectable vojjem and jackfruit sannas will make their appearance. The mothers and the mother-in-laws will unveil their hidden stocks of the last seasonal mangoes especially for this day. Come that day “Choll re piea re, tum illo ghe re, fallem kaim mellona......... Oslim festam vorsak kiteak don pauttim einna??” will be the happy chant in every community.

CROWNED: A participant in the float parade.

The Tradition
THE FESTIVAL is part of the traditions, the Portuguese colonists, who ruled Goa until 1961, have left behind. The Bible tells us that when Mary the mother of Jesus went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the baby John leaped in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. Years later, John the Baptist would baptize believers including Jesus Christ in rivers to anoint them with the Holy Spirit .These two narratives gave rise to this tradition of jumping into wells, reminiscent of those first baptisms centuries ago! The feast is popular in Portugal and other parts of Europe where the mode of celebration comes through in the verses taken from a student’s textbook “Dance, young lasses, this night, If it so pleases you. The pleasing scent of the herbs, In which you step your feet.” On that day a newly married daughter and her husband are invited to her mother’s house. Here all the village sons-in-law are taken to a pond and asked to jump in. Customarily they are supposed to decline and then the jovial crowd pushes them in.

The Sangodd
FOR THE traditional San Joao experience, there is no better place to be than the quaint village of Siolim, home to two well known sons of the soil - Remo Fernandes, internationally renowned musician and celebrity cartoonist Alexyz. For it is only during the annual San Joao that this sleepy hamlet comes alive with throngs of people coming to see the boat parades and the other festivities. On the day of San Joao, it is said all roads lead to Siolim The Siolim traditional boat festival or Sangodd began over a hundred years ago where participants from different villages would float in with the tide rather unceremoniously. Then about 12 years ago Alexyz and another concerned villager Fermino D’souza decided to give the rest of Goa a chance to participate in the excitement of San Joao. After encouraging participants with various prizes like those for Best Decorated boat, Best Kopel and Best singer, a full fledged San Joao festival began to take shape. In order to break the monotony of waiting for the boats from the various villages like Anjuna, Assagao, Siolim etc. to arrive; a stage was set up and various performers including the popular Remo, native tiatrists and singers were invited to entertain the crowd. The response to this new age celebration of San Joao was overwhelming and as years went by it kept growing. Today a younger breed of villagers namely the Gomes brothers, Sylvester Fernandes and the creative director Santos have taken over the reins of the fiesta and new surprises in the form of water sports are on the cards for the celebrations on the 24 th of June. The magic in the celebration at Siolim lies in the fact that it not a commercial venture and the good-natured people of the village themselves donate funds for the event. This is one of the few festivals left that still holds on to it’s charm and tradition which makes it so matchless today.

SIOLIM DECKED UP: Spectators queue up to watch the boat festival Sangodd.

Revelry
THOUGH TRADITIONALLY the day of San Joao is marked with heavy showers, last year the rain gods differed and the day went by without so much as a decent drizzle. This year however promises to be a wet one for the revelers and all the major resorts and clubs have begun their preparations for the San Joao. Clube Nacional has kept up to tradition and is probably the oldest celebrant of this festival in the capital. A popular place among the Panjim city slickers is the Dona Paula situated Rendezvous where all the action will be happening this 20 th of June. River Rays, Horizon Beach Resort, Angels Resort and Marina Dourado are the other organizers of San Joao celebrations this year. While the fun never ends, we are advised not to use the festival as an excuse for reckless drinking and debauchery and caution to those who take the plunge in wells fitted with electrical pumps and the like.

The Festival of San Joao carries a deeper message than just revelry and enjoyment . Above all the color and pomp it is a testimony to the spirit of community and brotherhood that is so unique to our culture. It is the day when the Goan people come together as one to participate in this festival of carefree fun regardless of their status or religion .In the spirit of San Joao can be found the feelings of communal harmony, equality and belongingness. It symbolises the very soul of the Goan people.

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