The festivities unfurl first in the Bardez villages of Serula and Aldona and reach their crescendo in Taleigao, near Panjim. A priest cuts a sheaf of corn or rice to signal the start of the festival and blesses the villagers for rich harvests in the future, before distributing the sheaves among them. Goans keep the blessed corn in their homes, hoping it will invite prosperity.
The Taleigao Church’s feast is a renowned tradition and local football clubs convene for the matches that habitually follow the feast. The bundles of crop cut by the priest are first sent to the Governor of Goa and the Archbishop of Goa Diocese as a symbol of love and prosperity.
