Subhadrika Sen
The Sao Joao is an annual Catholic festival celebrated in Goa on June 24, marking the birth anniversary of Saint John the Baptist.
According to tradition, the youth jump onto streams, ponds and local wells after attending mass.
Locals take to the streets singing folk songs on indigenous instruments like ghumot or kansallem.
A boat race is also organised in the late evening.
People put on their best attires and wear a crown called kopel, made of a local monsoon creeper
Sao Joao is also coupled as a thanksgiving festival for the newly married or new parents.
A feast is carried out by handcrafting, distributing and enjoying local delicacies like pork vindaloo, patollyo, sanna and more.
According to another tradition, effigies of the evil are handmade and burnt in the villages.