Venita Gomes
Amidst heavy showers, villagers gathered at the Chapel of St Peter in Vittozem, Divar, to celebrate the feast of Sao Pedro (St Peter) on Thursday, June 29, 2023.
The feast of St Peter was celebrated with traditional fervour, complete with a sangodd, created by joining two canoes.
The two canoes were tied together and decorated with colourful flowers, forming an altar for the statue of St Peter.
After offering prayers at the chapel, the statue of St Peter was taken in a procession and placed on the decorated sangodd, which then set sail in the Mandovi river.
Revellers and devotees boarded the ferry, which accompanied the sangodd as it sailed down the river. There was music, dancing, singing and merriment on the ferry.
The ferry then halted at the nearby Vanxim island and people from that island hopped on the ferry and joined in the celebrations.
In the pouring rain, the people, along with the statue of the saint, sailed on the river, as a gesture of praise and thanksgiving.
The sangodd and ferry is a unique way to celebrate the festival in a ferry, Divar style.