Of traditions and revelries

As Sao Joao is all set to be celebrated today, here’s a look at the rich cultural traditions around the festival and how it has evolved over the years

| JUNE 24, 2018, 06:06 PM IST
Of traditions and revelries

Pradnya Gaonkar Rane

Amidst the pitter patter of rain drops, the green patches in the last pieces of fields remaining, and the smell of wet mud, you hear a huge splash in the the nearby wells! You know it’s Sao Joao! There’s laughter, chatting and much rejoicing as people take a leap in the wells and those gathered around distribute seasonal fruits.   

“I was a young child when I saw how the village folks used to jump and they really had fun! They would hold their nose with one hand, press both arms snugly together against the chest and jump with the feet first. There would be loud cheers all around. According to tradition, jumping in the well marks that “leap of joy” that St. John the Baptist took in the womb when his mother Elizabeth met Mother Mary. Later in the 80’s it became a tradition where children would learn to swim. There were no swimming pools...so the well was the answer!” quips Clarice Vaz, a nurse and an artist from Saligao who boasts of the beauty of the traditions she gets to experience in the villages.  

A day before the festival, Clarice is all excited and ready with her camera to go visit the village folks just to see them all prepping up for the festivities the next day. There is also a kopel (the creatively knitted flower crowns) making workshop organised in the  local Mae de Deus Church and the proud Saligaokar doesn’t want to miss out on any of these small things associated with the celebrations.  

At Siolim where the Sao Joao celebration has a legacy of more than 100 years, people come together infront of the St Anthony’s Church all decked up in colourful kopels singing traditional songs and dancing to the beat of the ghumott and cymbals. “Colorfully decorated boats who recently have been highlighting social issues through various floats known as Sangodd come infront of the church creek singing the traditional Sao Joao songs. This year we have invited famous Konkani singing sensation O’Luv Rodrigues all the way from Chinchim,” informs Sylvester Fernandes, president of Siolim Sao Joao festival committee. Sylvester believes that the Siolim Sao Joao has maintained the traditions since its inception. With time, more people from nearby villages have added their boats and the number of people especially tourists coming all the way to see the festival has grown.

Traditionally in villages, there is a procession of people that go around and stop at the houses of newly weds, bless the families and exchange gifts, often daring the newly wed husbands to take a dip in the well with them. Then they feast on the fruits and sweets and have a bit of feni to ward off the cold shivers. The women and children watch from a distance. In another ritual common in the villages, the newly married bride is sent to her mothers place during the first showers of rains. Clarice mentions that the rains were pretty heavy in those early days and many of these brides were either pregnant or had just delivered. So going home meant they could relax and be cared for in the comfort of their home. On the Sao Joao day ie. June 24, the husband (new son-in-law of the village) used to come to collect his bride. The villagers narrate that the son in law was dared or pushed into the well as a symbolism of separation from his wife.  

“I think this festival should be called ‘Zanvoianchem Fest’, for it is the feast of the son in law(s) of the village. Traditionally, the bride of the village used to be dressed up in a red saree and would be seen carrying a basket of Goan sweets and seasonal fruits on her head as a gift for her in laws. Sao Joao was a celebration, opening of doors and hearts of the village to the husbands of the newly married daughters of the village. Villagers would be seen wearing ‘kopel’- a crown of flowers, leaves and fruits to honour these guests,” shares Clarice who feels saddened by the way the Sao Joao festival has now been commercialized in present times. Revelers can be seen dancing under water sprayed through holes in pipes! And if no rains in June, they plunge into swimming pools. This festival is marketed as another Goan fun party! The Sao Joao tradition of jumping in the wells has been discontinued in Saligao after witnessing two tragedies a few years ago when a villager broke his finger while jumping in the well and another drowning right near Clarice’s home in Saligao.

But that doesn’t mark the end of the festival. The people of Saligao have started a new tradition of sharing and caring in the form of Vangodd de Saligao for the past three years.(including this year which is happening tomorrow). “We celebrate Sao Joao at our church compound and share fruits, Goan sweet treats, and sing and dance to the tunes and beats of Goan traditional songs. We also highlight a social issue of ‘saving water’ or the garbage issue. We in Saligao have started this new chapter to teach the future generations our traditional way of life where everything is prepared from scratch, no fast foods here! No techno music (only traditional instruments). But we go out of our way to teach authentic traditional values and encourage children to observe San Joao as a part of their religious and cultural heritage in all it’s integrity. We need to preserve this tradition for posterity,” winds up Clarice who believes that the festival by the villagers and for the villagers revives our past which is rich in wisdom and traditional value.  

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