Monsoon magic in Goa

Traditional feasts high on native revelry, fantastic hotel packages and lush green landscape makes Goa an endearing destination in the rains, writes Sigmund de Souza.

As the first showers arrive, small clear-water brooks form along the roadsides, gradually joining traditional drains (called vau in Konkani) on their way to an endless number of gurgling rivulets that lend character to the lush green landscape. In the nearby pond, the green frogs (rana tigrina), who are out only for the rains, sing bass in the all-toad choir, as the wind gets the trees to sway in natural rhythm to this magical music. The Goan Monsoon has arrived!

The monsoon experience in Goa is unparalleled anywhere else in the country. Because, after nature plays its part, the region's culture steps in - an intoxicating blend of native customs and an imbibed Western legacy.

There is something very romantic about the rains in Goa - it's the cool climate, the smell of nature, and the native revelry that causes it. Since the last few years, an ever, increasing number of young tourists, especially honeymooners, have started visiting Goa in the monsoon, standing testimony to this ancient land's rising popularity as a monsoon tourist destination.

If you are in Goa during the monsoon, there are numerous traditional feasts and festivals that more than make up for the absence of colour in the otherwise dull grey skies. One of the most anticipated of these takes place annually on June 24 - São João, the festival of fertility. The festival is a typical example of how native Goan customs were adapted to suit Christian compulsions during the reign of the Portuguese in the land.

On São João day, revelers jump into swelling rivers and overflowing wells in every nook and corner of this state. Alongside, newly-wed grooms visit their wives native village and offer sweets, feni, and other goodies to the revelers, interlaced with prayer rituals seeking Divine blessings for these couples, and for the land in general.

São João celebrations vary in nature from vaddo (ward) to vaddo, and from village (gãu) to village. In Siolim, a canoe parade is organised on the river that culminates below the majestic Church of St Anthony (St Anthony's feast is celebrated on June 13). Thousands of people, including tourists, participate in the revelries of this event.

The feast of St Peter and St Paul is celebrated on June 29 each year with great pomp and splendour in the villages of Candolim, Siolim, Ribandar, and Agassaim. It is interesting to see the subtle differences in the way this feast is celebrated depending on the region where it being held.

St Peter is the patron saint of fishermen. In Saipem-Candolim in North Goa, after the customary offering of prayers to Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Cross, colourfully - attired local fishermen, in the company of professional artists climb onto a floating stage erected atop a row of canoes bound together and start performing plays and songs. This is called the Sangodd, which means bonding together (derived from the tying together of the fishing vessels). Their women and children, who are forbidden from getting on to the floating stage, watch the proceedings from the banks of the river.

The natives (gãunkars) of Goa start celebrating the ancient traditional Harvest Festival (or Konnshechem Fest - the feast of the first ears of corn) from the beginning of August. The gãunkars are members of traditional village institutions called Comunidades. The first celebrations take place on August 6 in the taluka of Bardez in the Comunidades of Serula (which borders the Mandovi river) and Aldona.

But perhaps the most colourful and elaborate celebration of the Harvest Festival takes place on August 21 in the village of Taleigao, in the neighbourhood of Goa's capital city of Panjim. The ritual starts in the village and then proceeds to the old city of Goa (Old Goa), where people offer Mass and prayers. The action then moves to the Old Adil Shah Palace (the Old Secretariat building), where the ears of corn, cut from the first seasonal harvest in the village are presented to the Governor of the state.

Historically, the honour of symbolically presenting the first harvest from Tiswadi taluka to the Governor General was bestowed on the natives of Taleigao by the Portuguese rulers. It was in recognition of the help rendered by the Hindu natives of the village to the stranded fleet of Portuguese Admiral, Afonso de Albuquerque, prior to his second and final capture of the City of Goa (then said to be the most beautiful port city in the whole world!) from Adil Shah of Bijapur.

Another festival that is an off-shoot of the Harvest Festival celebrations, but which has risen in prominence in recent years, is the festival of 'Bonderam' (festival of flags), which takes place in Piedade, on the picturesque island of Divar, on the first Sunday after August 24. The celebration here features a colourful parade of floats and a street dance (yes, in the rain!) and has attained the proportions of a major tourism festival in the state.

A unique feature of this festival are the mock fights between groups of youngsters, attacking each other with pop guns (fottash) created from bamboo stems using Teflam or Assalle (two varieties of local berries) seeds for pellets. When fired, the guns produce a loud 'bang'.

The four-month long monsoon season culminates, in a sense, with the celebration of the Hindu festival of Chovoth or Ganesh Chaturthi. Goan Hindus install idols of Lord Ganesha in their homes for periods ranging from one and a half days to seven days. The statue of Lord Ganesha is installed for up to 21 days at the city manddaps. A wide assortment of traditional sweets and delicacies are distributed by Hindu families to all their neighbours, including Christians and Muslims. Daily firework displays and the performance of Fugddeo (a narrative song and dance form) mark the colourful celebrations in Goan homes. This festival of Chovoth or Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu equivalent of the festival of Christmas in Goa.

If you are trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the monsoon is a great time to be in Goa. The lush green surroundings and very soothing temperatures are matched by the equally pleasant and friendly locals. They'll sit and chat with you, tell you stories about their land, and even invite you to an enjoyable game of carrom!

If nothing else, merely sitting on the seashore, enjoying the spray of the surf in your face, as the balmy breeze sparks a tingling sensation in your body, is more therapeutic to body, mind and soul, than the most fancy treatment any spa can offer you.