Held every year on June 24, Sao Joao Festival is the feast of St John the Baptist. On this day young men across Goa jump into wells to retrieve gifts thrown in by villagers. The festivals takes place at the beginning of Monsoon season in Goa. In Siolim, the village in North Goa’s Bardez taluka, colourful boat races are also organised on this day. San Joao, like any other Goan feast, reflects a spirit of merriment, colour and tradition. People dressed in colourful outfits from several villages meet near a stream front in carnival-coloured boats and floats. The festivals is especially celebrated with great vibrance in North Goa. On the feast day, villagers begin the day by taking a plunge in the village wells singing ‘San Joao’. The highlight of the day is the Sangodd, on which people parade singing Mandos and religious hymns.