Sao Joao is a traditional Goan festival celebrated on June 24 every year. The festival’s carnival-like atmosphere adds to the charm of the monsoons where Goans deck up in colourful costumes, wear fruit and flower laden wreaths called kopel, move in processions, partake in floats and splash into wells overflowing with rain water. Sao Joao is the Feast of St John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. Sao Joao marks the event of ‘the leap of joy’, where young men and boys jump into wells and water bodies shouting ‘Viva Sao Joao’. The Sao Joao celebrations begin from sunrise to sunset and are filled with music, dance, food, fruits, Goan beverages and more. While Sao Joao is a festival celebrated amongst the Catholic community, today it is a festival enjoyed by all communities. A large number of locals and tourists assemble to witness this monsoon festival.