The monsoon season in Goa typically runs from June to September. During this time, the region experiences heavy rainfall, which can sometimes lead to flooding in low-lying areas. The weather is generally humid and wet, with frequent rain showers and thunderstorms. The lush green landscapes of Goa come alive during the monsoon, making it a picturesque time to visit different places in Goa if you don't mind the rain. However, some beach activities and water sports may be limited due to rough seas and strong currents. Many tourists prefer to visit during the drier, cooler months from November to February, but if you enjoy the beauty of rain-drenched nature and fewer crowds, the monsoon season can offer a unique and refreshing experience in Goa.
By the end of April, every Goan home is done with roof repairs, household wood works and provisions of food and fuel in terms of firewood and petroleum oil needed to sustain themselves during the rainy season to come. The season comes along with countless power failures in spite of pre-monsoon works undertaken by authorities. These blackouts, however, help in family bonding when quality family time is spent over a cup of hot tea and crispy ‘boje’ (pakoras), in the light of a candle.
“We stored about five units of petroleum oil required for fueling the oil lamps in our house during monsoon, until the early 1970s when we got an electricity connection in 1972,” recalls Piedade Andrade from Ambajim. The pre-monsoon showers would hit Goa by the beginning of May accompanied with strong winds and a lot of thunder and lightning. “The winds make trees stronger, enhancing their elasticity, while lightning enhances the soil fertility”, says Pedro Aguiar from Colva.
One would often hear elders say, “Loud thunder and lightning brings down venom levels in reptiles”. This is probably a myth passed down generation after generation, but something worth the listen. With lives and livelihoods of people being strongly dependent on monsoons, they invoke Gods/Goddesses and saints for sufficient rains.
If rains were delayed, prayers were said unto various deities. Catholics prayed to St Anthony while various indigenous communities living in the forested regions of Goa worship Gajlaxmi, a goddess having two elephants standing on either side and pouring water on her head.
While Goans eagerly awaited the monsoons, there were superstitions about rain, strongly believed in by locals. People believed in omens associated with rainfall. These are days dedicated to the Catholic, Muslim and Hindu community and are regarded as ‘mirg’. The days are on June 5, 6 and 7 respectively. These were days on which it would definitely begin to rain. ‘Our God heard our request!’, exclaimed people belonging to the particular community based on whose ‘mirg’ was blessed with rain.
When it began raining, there were floods that were predicted in advance. Elders would say May 3 (Vôl) meaning slight moisture in the soil; June 13 (Pául bhor udok) meaning ankle level water in fields. There were also three floods foreseen. The first flood was to be on June 24 (São João), the second flood was to be on June 29 (São Pedro/São Paulo) and the third flood was to be on August 10 (São Lourenço).
Goans have been so close to nature that they have actually named the rain based on closely observing its pattern of precipitation, the chills experienced, its intensity etc. Rainfall in the first half of July was called ‘Matriancho paus’ (rain of the aged). This was the period of extremely heavy rainfall accompanied with chills. Rainfall in the second half of July was referred to as ‘Bhurgiancho paus’ (rain of the children). This is the period when the rain was sudden, alternating with sunshine and clear skies. The rains in the first half of August were referred to as ‘Dhuancho paus’ (rain of the daughters). This is the period when the rain quickly hits the ground and goes away in short durations. This type of rain is related to the limited period of life a daughter spends at her maternal home before her marriage. The rain in the second half of August is referred to as ‘Sunnãcho paus’ (rain of the daughter in law). This is the period when field workers often faced problems of leg infections due to their continuous working in the field in water-logged soil. The infections were associated with a form of punishment granted by the divine, unto the daughter-in-law for her selfish motives at her mother-in-law’s place.
Yet another event associated with a particular type of rainfall where it rained while it was still bright and sunny, is ‘Makdachem Kazar’ (a monkey’s wedding). “As children we were often told that if it rained on one’s wedding day, then it is most likely that the groom had eaten his meal in a ‘kunne’ (a wide mouth clay utensil) on the day prior to his wedding”, mentions Catarina Aguiar from Sernabátim.
There is something delightful about the sound of raindrops tapping on the roof and the earthy smell that follows a good downpour. “As children, I remember walking to school with umbrellas. We would take off our footwear and throw it into the clean unpolluted water gushing through the drainages beside the road. We would then run with the pace of the flowing water to get back our footwear. Sometimes we even made paper boats and released them into roadside drainages overflowing with rain water and ran behind them to see how far they reached before they toppled”, mentions Joyce Carvalho from Carmona, with a faint smile as she reminisces about her childhood.