Goa’s Sao Joao festival

Context

Catholics in Goa celebrated Sao Joao, the feast of St John the Baptist.

About the festival

• The celebrations includes revellers sporting crowns made of fruits, flowers and leaves.
• The major draw of the feast is the water bodies – wells, ponds, fountains, rivers – in which the revellers take the “leap of joy”.

• Enjoyed by children and adults alike, the festival also includes playing the traditional gumott (percussion instrument), a boat festival, servings of feni, and a place of pride for new sons-in-law.