Goa celebrates ‘Sao Joao’ Festival 2022.

• The people of Goa have celebrated the Sao Joao festival, the feast of St John the Baptist with traditional enthusiasm after a two-year coronavirus-induced gap.
• The festival is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, who baptised Lord Jesus on the river of Jordan and is celebrated at the onset of monsoon.
• Siolim, a village in North Goa, hosts a traditional canoe parade on the occasion of Sao Joao.

About the Festival:

• A large number of people participated in the boat parade in Siolim village of Goa’s Bardez taluka, marking the beginnng of revelry in the ‘Sao Joao’ festival.
• Traditionally, people jump into the well but since the wells are fast disappearing, people prefer to celebrate it in swimming pools.
• The festival is marked to herald the monsoon season in the state every year in June. People are often seen having a great time by enjoying and dancing in the artificial rain which adds charm to the celebrations.