Miguel Braganza
Today, Goa bursts into celebration for São João, the feast that marks the birth of St. John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus. For reasons not entirely clear, jackfruit has become a symbol of the festivities, while cashew feni remains the drink of choice.
Although many do not directly associate the festival with the Catholic Church, its origins are rooted in Biblical tradition. Interestingly, some longstanding Catholic customs in Goa, such as the caste system and wax offerings to statues, have little grounding in scripture.
From 2015 to 2019, some people celebrated São João with alcohol-free events like the Ponnsachem Fest in Socorro and the Vangodd de Saligao. These gatherings brought the community together but were later stopped by the parish priests who had first supported them.
“Sharing is caring”. I once heard my grandnephew tell my granddaughter this as he handed her his toys. The jackfruit is a good example of this idea. It is essentially a cluster of fruits wrapped by nature. A soft rosall jackfruit, known as ponnos in the South, can be opened easily without a knife. There, the kapo is called borkoi.
According to tradition, the newest son-in-law in the village must share jackfruit and feni with others while enjoying a meal at his father-in-law’s house, in his mau-vaddo. It doesn’t matter how many people are there, because jackfruit is easy to share. The local boys also take the son-in-law to jump into a well or pond. If he can’t swim, they help him out.
Jackfruit is an important part of Goan culture. In Konkani, people sometimes say “Sarko ponnos kaso zala” to describe someone who looks well-fed, meaning they’ve grown big like a jackfruit.
This is the season when jackfruit is plenty. The tree can survive heat and drought and is good for the environment. Its green leaves feed animals, and the dry ones are used to make patravali, the original eco-friendly plates of the Konkan region. The young fruit is cooked and eaten as vegan chicken. The ripe fruit is eaten fresh or made into chips. The seeds can be turned into a caffeine-free drink called Jaffee, and the wood is used for furniture and doors.
Jackfruit trees can even grow in big pots. You can plant
one at home.
