Goodbye to a Goan summer

Here comes the monsoon in Goa! But, before that, let's take a look at how Goans spend their summers, and the customs followed by the locals during the season.

Summer isn't just about the scorching heat. For the locals, it is so much more than that! In Goa, during the months of April and May, you will find the local people preparing for the upcoming monsoon season, and that is quiet fascinating. The locals call it purument, which means 'provisions' in Portuguese.

Purument is all about getting the kitchen ready for the rainy days ahead by stocking up on various culinary essentials such as chillies, dry fish etc. This is done so that people don't need to venture outdoors to shop when it rains. And so, you will find pickles being cooked, salt fish being dried and more in Goan households.

Items such as chillies, rice and other ingredients are kept to sun dry outside peoples' homes and in open tracts of land. In the past, and till date, Goans use these things since they come in handy during the monsoons.

Summer is about having a little fun, too, and you will find many Goans heading to the many beaches and springs at this time of the year. In fact, it's almost like a ritual -- early in the morning, the older folk and their children pack up and get ready for a trip to the beach.

In the past, bathing in the waters of the beach, or spring, was considered to be a therapeutic experience. People have long believed that the clean spring waters had medicinal properties and were capable of healing their skin aliments, while the salty waters of the beach would help to keep the summer heat and their body aches at bay.

They would spend the whole day at the beach, have lunch, and finally head back home in the evening.

In homes, there would be kokum juice, mango juice, sweet potatoes and a variety of homemade juices.

Summer is also the time of the year when people repair their houses so as to prevent any leakages and dripping roofs during the rainy days.

Many flowers are in full bloom during the summer months, and these are used for various purposes.

It is also the season when people venture into the sea to collect shell fish, which is a delicacy in Goa.