The Navind Times
Published on: June 24, 2012 – 02:12
By Lida João
The church of São João Baptista founded by the Jesuits in Colva in 1581 was transferred to Monte hill of Benaulim in 1596. Soon after, in 1596, a church was built in the ward and was called ‘Povoaçao’.
Another church founded in 1539, is situated at Carambolim in Tiswadi taluka. And a church built in 1658 exists in Pilerne, Bardez. The Saviour of the World Church at Salvador do Mundo founded in 1565 in Serula, the largest village in Bardez, comprising of three parishes Salvador de Mundo, Penha do Franca and Succorro and the St Anthony’s church in Siolim celebrate the feast of São João with the traditional sangod.
The uniqueness of this festival is that the youth wear the kopel made of the São João vale on their heads and go from door to door singing by banging the piddes in front of the houses in the compound ‘San Juanv, San Juanv Ghunvta Mure’. The traditional Goan sweets like patoleo, sannas are served and so are traditional Goan dishes.
The celebration of St John’s Eve or Midsummer’s Eve was, from ancient times, a festival of the summer solstice. It is celebrated in the night from the June 23 to June 24, and on June 24. Traditions include singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales, searching for the magic fern that blossom at midnight, jumping over bonfires, greeting the rising midsummer sun and washing the face with morning dew. Young girls float flower wreaths and collect several species of medicinal plants that they arrange in a bunch and hang over doorways or dip in a vessel with water. These are exposed to the night’s dew with which they cleanse their faces. Tradition holds it that the medicinal plants mentioned above are most effective when dipped in water and collected from seven different springs. Women who wanted to be fertile had to bathe in the sea until they were washed by nine waves.
On St John’s Eve, boys usually collect bones and other rubbish and burn them. The fires, it is believed, is to drive away dragons from poisoning springs and wells. The best-known midsummer ritual is the lighting of the bonfire and jumping over it. When it is relatively safe to jump over the bonfire, it is done three times for good luck at the cry of ‘witches off’! This is seen as a way of guaranteeing prosperity and avoiding bad luck. Avoidance of lighting of fire invites the destruction of your house by fire. The fire also frightens away mischievous spirits thus ensuring a good harvest. Bigger the fire, the more the mischievous spirits stay away.
Rural life is celebrated through typical clothing, food, and dance. Square dancing/ quadrilha features couple formations in a mock wedding where the bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing. A wheel is also rolled downhill to signify that the sun then rises to the highest point of its circle and at once turns back.
In folk magic, midsummer’s night was a very potent night for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors. An old Swedish tradition says that unmarried girls should, before bedtime, on midsummer’s eve pick seven kinds of flowers and jump over seven round pole fences and then sleep with the flowers under the pillow. During the night they will dream about the boys they will get married to. It is a tradition too for people to become godfathers and blood brothers on this day, as St John is a symbol of character and rectitude.
This is a festive day, when people eat Caldo Verde (cabbage and potato soup), Sardinha Assada (grilled sardines), bread and drink red wine and água-pé (grape juice with a small percentage of alcohol) and revel. This festival stresses on the importance of medicinal plants, especially in relation to health, youth and beauty; the protective character of fire to ward men off evil spirits and witches and, finally, the purifying and miraculous effects of water.