Sao Jao, the Feast of John the Baptist, is a Portuguese legacy celebrated on the day with the heaviest rainfall in June. Travelling revellers jump into gushing rivers and overflowing wells to retrieve gifts, and are rewarded with a glass of feni when they surface.
The crux of the carousing is far more temperate, but no less delightful; it signifies the elation John felt in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when she was visited by Mary. The occasion is also marked by newly-wed grooms visiting their in-laws and special prayers to invoke blessings on newly-wed couples.
Sao Jao is a celebration of abundance - married women too are bestowed with baskets of fruit and canoes parade down rivers showing off their rich decorations. The coconut stalk is used to make merry music, and revellers in leafy crowns happily tap their feet to its rhythm.