MAPUSA
The picturesque village of Saligao is ready to celebrate Vangodd “ Sao Joao festival with a difference for the first time this year. “We are holding the festival in a small scale without jumping in the well or allowing any consumption of alcohol,” said Hubert D Costa, President of Saligao Parish Youth. The festival will be held on Sunday in the Mae de Deus Church compound. The concept of Vangodd meaning togetherness in Konkani came about after the parishioners of Saligao decided to hold Sao Joao “We are changing the concept of celebrating Sao Joao. Besides discouraging jumping in well we have zero tolerance to alcohol. Because of our concept, a lot of women are taking part in the festival,” Marius Fernandes said. The Vangodd being celebrated in Saligao and Ponsachem Fest in Socorro for the first time this year promotes conservation and water and dissociates from alcohol. “We celebrate water. Traditionally, people jumped in the well, as some still do. We don t waste water and therefore there s no jumping in the well in our celebration of Sao Joao,” said Marius Fernandes, a cultural activist from Diwar who was responsible to conceive the idea of Ponsachem Fest in Socorro. The President of Socorro Socio Art & Cultural Association Candelario Pinto, popularly known as Connie, seconds him. “We don t pollute the well by jumping in it. We dress the well with fruits and then dance around it to the beat of the popular Sao Joao music,” said Pinto. The jackfruit festival brings together the village folk for an evening filled with fun and merrymaking, as part of the annual Sao Joao festival. While people feast on the traditional cuisine made out of jackfruits, seasonal fruits are also available in plenty on the occasion. “Socorro is divided in seven wards and each ward presents a programme during the event. There are skits and traditional dances too,” Pinto informed. The brass band also keeps the village folk in good spirits throughout the evening. With monsoon playing a perfect host, the ground is set to kick off the traditional Sao Joao revelries across the villages in Bardez.
