Contrary to perception, monsoon is the best time to visit Goa and get a dose of fun and ethno-culture, says Team Viva
Jump into a lake amid the rains, feel the drizzle wet your back and slide off into the eddies as you splash about wild, gorge on cucumber salads or dance on a floating raft.....head to Goa for a monsoon break which is about celebrating the outdoors just as they are meant to be.
While for metrozens, the city can turn into a slightly humid squib with puddle-filled potholes, the rainy season is the best time of the year in Goa, which puts on its greenest shade, has a balmy weather and helps you reconnect with your primal roots. Monsoon is the time for local festivals which promise the visitor an experiental like no other. And while the sea maybe rough, this is the perfect time to explore Goa’s inland secrets, which always get overrun by cliches. No wonder all tour and travel operators this season are customising packages to Goa. Here’s a rundown of activities that you could be part of through the season:
Sao Joao
The monsoon begins with the celebration of Sao Joao festival on June 24 every year. This festival has a special significance among Catholics and is dedicated to St John the Baptist, the firebrand prophet. Belief has it that John the Baptist leapt in joy in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, when she was told of Jesus’ birth. He later went on to baptise Jesus in the river Jordan. Since then, in Catholic tradition, the well is considered to be a representation of Elizabeth’s womb and a jump into it a sign of joy for the birth of Christ.
San Joao, like any other Goan feast, has that captivating spirit of merriment, colour and tradition. People dressed in colourful outfits from several villages meet near a stream in carnival-coloured boats and floats. Regardless of age, all of them jump into the water. Such gatherings take place around wells, ponds and rivers. The festival is then followed by different types of folk dances and exchange of fruits and other eatables between friends and relatives. It is mostly celebrated in the village of Siolim.
Ponsachem
This is a jackfruit festival, which is also celebrated on the day of Sao Joao. This was originally celebrated to savour Goa’s choicest jackfruits and the delicious items made from it. It takes place in Socorro village and is now popular in other villages of the state as well.
Sangodd
This festival is celebrated across the state on June 29. This is a monsoon-based celebration by Goa’s local fishing community. Fishermen tie their boats together to form rafts and floats, which serve as makeshift stages for performances. There is a live cultural programme on a church-like structure that is erected across four boats. The binding together of the boats is a metaphor for binding the community. Konkani artistes put together various culture performances, seeking blessings from the heavens above as it were.
Chikalkalo
This literally means “play in the mud.” Held two days after Aashadhi Ekadashi at Marcel village, devotees plunge into a roll-in-the-muck excess. It is a mud pack treatment like no other.
Touxeachem
This is a cucumber feast and is celebrated at the magnificent Church of St Anne, also known as the Santana Church, at Talaulim in Tiswadi taluka. Young couples come to the church to seek the blessings of St Anne, who herself was blessed with a child after 40 years of barren life. Devotees buy cucumbers from local vendors, offer them at the feet of St Anne and carry them home to prepare all kinds of delicacies, from salads to soups. Needless to say a healthy detox practice legitimised by a ritual.
Patolleanchem
It is a feast depicting the rich and old Goan cuisine and culture. It is organised on the feast of Our lady of Assumption every August 15. Patollio (a sweet made of jaggery and rice covered with a turmeric leaf) is prepared by the villagers. After the priest blesses it, the delicacy is distributed to the parishioners and all those attending the feast. Held at Socorro village.
Bonderam
This is the most happening festival celebrated on a grand scale on the Divar island. “Bandeira” is the Portuguese word for flag and it is a ritual symbolic of honour. During Portuguese rule in Goa, there were frequent disputes between two sections of the Divar village over property issues. These often led to violence and squabbles. To find a solution to this problem, the Portuguese introduced a system of demarcation of boundaries with flags. The festival is a memoir to the protest by the local villagers against the Portuguese while trying to resolve the property ownership disputes. This festival starts with a flag which is accompanied by the brass band. later there is a fancy dress competition which is followed by the traditional float parade. This is followed by a live band performance by famous music bands of Goa. Bonderam draws huge crowds from all parts of Goa and the world.