Relish a midsummer’s feast of Sao Joao Cha San in Kurla

East Indian residents of Kurla, at the Holy Cross Church, dressed in traditional attire for Sao Joao cha san. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Sao Joao, an annual Catholic religious festival that pays tribute to Saint John the Baptist, is celebrated worldwide, but in Goa, it's unique. After attending Mass, Goan Catholic men, leap into and swim in local water bodies. For the second year, Action Group of Kurla is bringing this vibrant celebration, Sao Joao Cha San to life with rain dance showers, music by DJ Kyle and Roshan, a live East Indian band by Scorpion Music Makers, a swimming pool for ladies and children, a kopel (a floral headgear) contest and traditional food at the Holy Cross School Centenary Ground in Kurla, where the 444-year-old church built during the Portuguese era stands. "It's a day to have fun and count your blessings," says Blaise Gomes, co-founder, Action Group of Kurla and chief organiser of the event.

Women from Kurla's Christian Village wear kopel

Sao Joao, in Portuguese, means Saint John. Sharing the festival's rich history, Fr Milton Gonsalves, retired assistant priest of Holy Cross Church, Kurla and a historian says, "The feast of Sao Joao celebrates the birth anniversary of St John the Baptist, who baptised Jesus in the River Jordan. Jumping into wells and ponds symbolises baptism in the River Jordan. Since the feast coincides with the onset of monsoons, with fresh greenery, blooms, and full water bodies, the celebration evolved to incorporate elements of the rainy season. We also pray for a good monsoon." Incidentally, it coincides with the Midsummer's Day in Europe.

Karen Dourado, originally from Goa and now residing in Malad, who will be attending this event fondly recalls how on the feast day, villagers would gather with ghumots (a clay pot tied with animal skin on one end) and kansallem (a Goan percussion instrument) and go around the village visiting houses with new borns and new son-in-law, visiting. "The procession were offered fresh fruits, feni, and donation to the chapel. Singing hymns along the way, they would march towards the village well, eat, drink, and jump into it before returning to the village chapel to say the litany of Sao Joao. In Siolim, people celebrate in colourful floats on boats.

Karen Dourado, Blaise Gomes and Fr Milton Gonsalves

Villagers from Benaulim, Assolna, Pilerne, Chapora, Anjuna, and Assagao, traditionally journey by boat to the chapel of Sao Joao in Pereira Vaddo, where the festive spirit is palpable with its local offerings. While these villages celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm, several others have smaller, traditional celebrations that provide a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of Goa."

"Sao Joao is all about uniting villagers, regardless of their faith, and that's exactly what we are trying to replicate at the festival here. The rates are reasonable so that everyone in the family has access to the festival," concludes Gomes, emphasising the festival's role in fostering cultural unity and pride.

WHAT: Sao Joao Cha San
WHEN: Today, 11 am to 5 pm
WHERE: Holy Cross School Centenary Ground, Kurla
PRICE: Rs 100 entry
TO BOOK: 9820793773