Sao Joao
Sao Joao (St. John’s feast) was celebrated yesterday, 24th June 09, in Damao (Daman) Portuguese style as usual with ‘add-ons.’
I woke up around 7am to firecrackers in the churchyard as well as echoes from the various ‘bairos.’
The day was spent putting up effigies made by stuffing old suits with straw and firecrackers. An earthen toddy pot is used for the head which is also stuffed with straw and firecrackers. The effigies are usually of men.
I had a rather heavy lunch around noon – the traditional ‘vale nascido,’ a dish made of sprouted beans garnished with salted cubes of pork fat.
After lunch, I packed my family into our car and headed for the beach. Damanenses don’t wear conventional swimwear. Men and boys wear Bermuda shorts and women and girls opt for slacks and Tees. Typically, Damanenses seldom protect their eyes with sunglasses. Very few actually swim, preferring to frolic in the waves near the shoreline.
We waded along the shoreline from Ferrieros to Badrapor but got back into the car and drove to Jampore beach around 4pm. Jampore was where the party was in full swing – Damanenses from Small Daman preferred crossing the creek over to Big Daman than partying on rocky, Devka beach. There were people in the water and in little groups on the shore under the needle pine trees, partying – eating, drinking canned beer, strolling, snapping pictures, cruising in cars.
There was more fun in store elsewhere later in the evening – the ‘Judas’ effigies were burnt all over town.
For those that missed all the fun or would like a replay on a smaller scale, there’s always Sao Pedro (St. Peter’s feast) to look forward to on the 29th of June.
Interessante o S. João em Damão.
Aqui, na Figurira da Foz, fazem-se as marchas de S. João, à noite. Há muita gente nas ruas, bailes, música, doces, diversões. À meia-noite há o fogo de artifício e depois o banho santo, ou seja, há várias pessoas que se banham na praia mesmo durante a noite.
Madalena Canas
Madalena, hi! Thanks for your feedback – S. Joao in Figurira da Foz is such fun – especially bathing in the sea at night and the marches!
I wrote the wrong name of my town, It is Figueira da Foz on the coast of central Portugal. She is beautiful and has much tourism, particularly in the summer. Than the beach has the Serra da Boa Viagem and Casino.
Eu escrevi mal o nome da minha cidade, é Figueira da Foz. Fica no litoral centro de Portugal. É bonita e tem muito turismo, sobretudo no Verão. Além da praia tem a Serra da Boa Viagem e o Casino.
Madalena
I thought as much:) We use the word, ‘Figueira’ in Daman as in ‘folha de figueira’ for banana leaf!
The city’s name comes from a fig tree (the tree that gives figs). Yes, here there are also fig leaf, but the leaf of the tree that gives the figs. It seems there was a fig tree at the mouth of the Mondego river, the river that flows in Figueira da Foz.
O nome da cidade tem origem numa figueira (a árvore que dá figos). Sim, cá também há folha de figueira, mas para a folha da árvore que dá os figos. Parece que havia uma figueira na foz do rio Mondego, o rio que desagua na Figueira da Foz.
Madalena
I wonder why here in Daman (Damao), people speaking Portuguese in the local dialect refer to the banana tree leaves as ‘folha de figueira’!