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Is a holiday in Goa only about beaches and sunshine? Certainly not! Come June-July and the monsoon weaves its magic on this exotic holiday paradise. There is definitely something about Goa in the rains, bringing a romance and magic that visitors can rarely forget. Goa is fast emerging as a favourite honeymoon destination during the monsoon, lured by the season’s remarkable romantic charm.
The weather is cool, rivers overflowing and nature at its lush green best after the heat of the summer. This is the time when you can just sit out on a verandah and simply watch the swaying palms and the sea, brilliant in its fury. The beaches are dotted with small restaurants serving hot food. Enjoy a cup of coffee as you watch the rain play its games on the deserted beaches. The peak of monsoon is from mid July to late September. The rains bring peace and serenity to those who seek solace from the tediousness of urban life.
A sudden unexpected shower which lasts for a short time only is usually followed by bright sunshine which drenches the countryside with its radiance. The Goan hills come back to life, the lush greenish shades striped with cascading waterfalls. This is the time to explore the rural charms of the interiors. Explore ecotourism, spice plantations and other unusual options.
Many of Goa’s traditional feasts and festivities are in the monsoon season. The most anticipated among them is the São João, the festival of fertility held on June 24. A perfect blend of traditional Goan customs and colonial culture, both local inhabitants as well as the tourists enjoy Sao Jao’s colourful festivities. The feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul follow on June 29 each year and are celebrated with great pomp and splendour in several fishing villages. A colourful artistic customary ritual called Sangodd, means ‘bonding together’ is an inevitable part of this festival. An ancient traditional Harvest Festival of Goa, Konnshechem Fest - the feast of the first ears of corn – is celebrated from the beginning of August. The Harvest Festival which takes place on August 21 in the village of Taleigao, Panjim is perhaps Goa’s most colourful festival. The feast of Bonderam on the island of Divar is celebrated with a flag festival in a carnival like pageantry with colorful floats and dancing troupes, watched by a boisterous crowd. The Chikhalkala is a unique festival celebrated in the small town of Marcel where the whole village gets engaged in a variety of games, the participants covered in the mud drenched in the downpour! The monsoon in Goa is also witness to the celebration of the Ganesh Chaturthi.
More than a mere season, the monsoon is a time of rejuvenation in Goa.
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