Panaji: In a first-of-its-kind philatelic tribute to Sao Joao, a centuries-old festival celebrated across Goa on June 24 in honour of St John the Baptist, India Post on Wednesday released a special postal cancellation to commemorate its annual celebration. It aims to provide greater visibility to the festival and introduce it to collectors and postal enthusiasts.Special cancellations are distinctive postal markings applied to mail on specific occasions, often commemorating cultural, historical or social events.“Many collectors across the country or overseas may not know about Sao Joao. When they see a cancellation on a postcard or envelope, they become curious and often search for information about it. In that way, philately helps promote culture and heritage,” a postal official said.Celebrated during the onset of the monsoon, Sao Joao is among Goa’s most vibrant festivals. The tradition commemorates the biblical account of St. John the Baptist leaping in his mother Elizabeth’s womb upon learning of the coming birth of Jesus Christ. In Goa, the festival is marked by revellers wearing floral crowns known as copel and enthusiastically jumping into wells, ponds and water bodies as an expression of joy and faith.“The public is welcome to obtain the cancellation during the month. Philatelists can preserve this unique memento of one of Sao Joao’s celebrations,” the official said.The Sao Joao cancellation follows an earlier special cancellation issued a few years ago to mark Goa Liberation Day.
