The villagers of Sao Pedro are excited this year as the Sangodd festival falls on a Sunday and they expect grand celebrations. A group of villagers is busy building and decorating a replica of St Peter’s Church. This replica will be placed on the sangod, which is a floating platform made by tying together traditional wooden fishing canoes.
“This is a 200-year-old festival dedicated to the fishermen but now celebrated by everyone in our village. We are all one community and we keep this tradition alive together,” says Dennis Fernandes, president of the Sao Pedro Sonstha in Fondevem, Ribandar.
Dennis and his team are busy preparing for the festival linked to Sao Pedro Chapel. He says the tradition must continue so future generations know their rich culture. “I have been part of this festival since I was a child, even though I am not a fisherman. The feast is dedicated to St Peter, who was a fisherman, but people from all communities take part. It is not just for the fishing community,” says Dennis, who is 58.
He explains that the decorated sangod will be placed on two tied canoes. About 15-20 people will sail on it towards the church at 5.45 am and attend mass at 6.30 am. After prayers and garlanding the statue of Sao Pedro, they will offer cake, sweets, live fish, bread and wine before taking out a procession.
Held on June 29 every year, this festival honours the patron saints of the fishing community in Goa. People pray for protection and blessings from St Peter and St Paul, who were both fishermen. Sangod or Sangodd in Konkani means a floating raft made by tying together wooden fishing boats.
Today, the ritual remains the same but celebrations have grown. Villagers decorate the canoes and tie them together to carry more people. Prayers and hymns are sung as parishioners ask for safety at sea and good work throughout the year.
With time, the festival has grown beyond the fishing community. Goans working on ships are also included in the prayers. The Sangodd festival is a unique tradition in Goan fishing villages. St Peter, one of Jesus’s apostles, was a fisherman and is known as the patron saint of fishermen. In Goa, the only church dedicated to St Peter is in Sao Pedro, also called Panelim.
The St Peter’s Chapel Committee in Vittozem, Divar will celebrate with a prayer service at 4 pm and a procession afterwards. A special ferry will leave from Vittozem jetty at 5 pm to carry people. There will be live music, dancing and other entertainment on the ferry, with music by Anthony. The chapel committee and Caetano Furtado have invited everyone to join.
In most villages that celebrate Sangodd, ferries are decorated with flowers, coconut leaves, banners and images of St Peter and St Paul. This tradition is believed to have started so the local fishing communities could honour the saints and ask for protection while at sea.
The sangod itself has deep meaning. Floating it on rivers and canals shows devotion and thanks, and is also seen as a spiritual cleansing. It shows how closely Goans are linked to the sea, which has supported their lives and culture for centuries. The festival brings people together to pray for the safety and success of the fishing season and to strengthen bonds in the community.
Over time, each village has added its own style to the festival. Though some things have changed, the values of faith, tradition and community remain strong.
The Sangodd is similar to a ritual followed by Hindu fisherfolk in Goa, Konkan and Gujarat. After the fishing ban ends and the sea is safe, they offer coconuts, flowers and prasad to the sea on Narali Poornima, asking the sea god to protect them.
In Goa, both Catholic and Hindu communities have their own Sangodd celebrations. For Hindus, it is held during Ganesh Chaturthi, on the sixth day, with the exact date changing each year. Villages like Cumbharjuva, Marcel and Assolna have their own styles of celebration.
In these Hindu celebrations, villagers build a sangod by tying three or four canoes together. Rajesh Naik, a research student from Margao, explains that during this Sangod Utsav, about 15 canoes are joined to form a river procession decorated with local plants and flowers. Whether Catholic or Hindu, Sangodd shows Goa’s unique culture, blending history, art, tradition and community spirit.
