The principal, teachers and students of St Andrews Higher Secondary School participate in Sao Joao celebrations at Vaddem on Saturday morning. Captured by : Vikram Nayak
VASCO
In a first of its kind, the principal, teachers and students of St Andrew’s Higher Secondary School got together and celebrated the Sao Joao festival with music and dance at Vaddem in Vasco on Saturday morning.
People around the area were in for a pleasant surprise to see a different level of bonding between the teachers and students as they danced and enjoyed together on the occasion.
Sao Joao was celebrated with great traditional rituals and religious fervour amid music and dance, with the principal, teachers, staff and students seen with "Koppels" adorned with flowers and fruits on their heads.
The group danced to music in a line and circled the Vaddem Lake just outside the school, amid traditional Sao Joao songs and chants of "Viva Re Sao Joao".
The group even got together and posed for pics with the school in the background and sources claimed that an array of traditional Goan dishes were also made available on the occasion of Sao Joao celebrations.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Elvis Gonsalves, principal of St Andrews HSS, said the school wanted to spread unity and communal harmony by celebrating all festivals.
"The St Andrew’s Higher Secondary School believes in celebrating festivals of all religions. We have students who are Hindus, Muslims and Christians and we celebrate all the festivals, whether it is Eid, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali or Christmas and even Sao Joao festival.”
“Our aim is to bring about unity in society and promote communal harmony. This is exactly what we want to showcase by celebrating all festivals,” said Dr Gonsalves.
