BY PURVI RADIA |NT NETWORK
The monsoon covers Mother Earth once again with a lush green carpet. Man and animal alike, who have waited long for the rains, are rejoicing. Seeds have germinated, seasonal flowers bloomed, and these have brought a soothing joy to all.
As the rainy season is synonymous with new life, so also does it signal the arrival of various festivals, and the social events associated with the feast of St John the Baptist adds to the rain revelries.
On the occasion of the feast of St John the Baptist, people plunge into water bodies. According to some, the well signifies the womb of St Elizabeth. The feast reminds people of the moment when the John the Baptist as a baby in his mother’s womb leapt in joy when the Blessed Virgin Mary visited.
Among all the traditions associated with the feast, the making and wearing of the ‘copel’ (similar to a wreath worn around one’s head) forms the spotlight of Sao Joao. Fresh seasonal flowers and leaves are tied to bent bamboos to make a crown. The Additional Director, OFAI (Organic Farming Association of India), Mr Miguel Braganza explains the significance of the ‘copel’. He says that during Roman times, in Israel, winners were crowned with a wreath made of olive leaves, a tradition the Portuguese brought to Goa. And sometimes fruits are also added along with the flowers to the ‘copel’ says Mr Anslem Fernandes, a resident of Pomburpa.
Another reason that many assign the origin of the custom of wearing a ‘copel’ is that the ‘copel’ depicts the crown of thorns that Jesus wore as he was crucified says Mr Braganza. The ‘copel’ is usually made up of croton leaves, shoe flowers, tender palm leaves, ixora flowers, St John flowers, tender guava fruits, local cherries, bougainvilleas with or without thorns and sometimes even raw mangoes, says Mr Joel D’Souza, a resident of Assagao.
Participants wear the colourful ‘copel’ and take a joyous jump into the well. However, just before the celebrations commence, a small ritual is performed. The ‘copel’ is first offered to the Holy Cross and hymns are sung as a ‘ghumat’ is played.
Over the years the spirit with which the ‘copel’ used to be made earlier has undergone a change with the announcements of various ‘copel’ making competitions. Mr Braganza commented over this saying that such events only create an atmosphere of competition and in the end the feeling of the festivity is lost. He opined that there should not be any such competition.
Sao Joao is an eco-friendly festival. Mr Braganza informs that fruits like the jackfruits, mangoes, pineapples are presented to the revellers who jump into the well. The sweets are then put in a ‘dhali’ and distributed to the community gathered.
