Last Saturday we had our Festa Junina at our Portuguese ward. It's something we look forward every year because it is a great tradition among our Brazilian people and we want to teach Giovanna how to love it and enjoy it as much as we do.
Festa Junina is the term used to describe the traditional festivities
that happen at the beginning of the Brazilian winter in June. It is a month to
commemorate some of the most famous saints for Catholics: Saint Anthony,
Saint John the Baptist and Saint Peter. It is also a month to honor rain, the
harvest season and marital union. Visitors celebrate from mid-June until the
end of July and in some cities, festivities even continue until late August.
Those attending will be treated to delicious and typical food, will dress up
like farmers, enjoy bonfires and dance the Quadrilha. After Carnival, it is the
second most important popular celebration in Brazilian culture.
Quadrilha folk dances are a vital component of Festa Junina. Dances
involve
up to 30, colorfully dressed performers, while a chosen ‘bride and
groom’ act as the center of the spectacle. Inspiration is taken
from the 17th century French quadrilles, a type of traditional square
dance, while
the Brazilian adaptations are considerably more complex. Before the
actual
dance starts, a theater performance tells the story of a single man who
is
pressured into marrying a girl that is carrying his child. Everyone
participates by singing traditional songs, including the lovers’
families, the police, the priests and
everyone who comes from their ‘village’. Vibrant and
highly convivial, these jovial dances are without a doubt the highlight
of the
Festa Junina.
The typical clothes worn at the Festa Junina are inspired by vintage
rural fashion as the themes of harvest and rain are central to the festivities.
Young men wear the beard or the mustache, and short trousers with braces,
while women braid their hair, wear checkered dresses and
freckles.
As June is the month when corn crops are harvested, the majority of
sweet and savory snacks and cakes are made of corn. A few popular examples
include pamonha, canjica, corn on the cob and corn cakes. In addition, rice
pudding, the Brazilian version of mulled wine, sweet potatoes and much more are
also included on the Festa Junina menu.
We had a lot fun! It is traditions like this we will cherish forever!