Festa Junina - The Popular June Festivals in Brazil

The "Festa Junina", also known as "Festa de Sao Joao", are a tradition throughout Brazil. These are rural folk festivals that take place in June, mainly in the interior of Brazil. The Junifests are very popular among the locals as well as among the tourists who spend their vacations in Brazil at this time. For them, participating in the mid-year festivities is a very special experience on their Brazil trip. Nowadays, the Junifest is almost as well known and popular as the Carnival in Brazil and the second most important and popular folk festival in the country. The June festivals of the city of Caruaru have even made it into the Guinness Book of Records. The "Festa Junina" of Caruaru, which is located in the state of Pernambuco in the north of Brazil, is one of the largest folklore festivals in the world.

As the name suggests, the "Festa Junina" in Brazil takes place throughout June. The festivities culminate with the Feast of Saint John, the "Festa de Sao Joao", which is dedicated to Saint John on June 24th. In earlier times, before the increasing Christianization in the Middle Ages, the summer solstice was celebrated on this date in Europe. The Portuguese introduced the festive customs in Brazil. Especially traditionally, the June festivals are celebrated in the northeast of Brazil. Musically they are accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of the forro, which traditionally consists of an accordion player, a drum, and a triangle. The fast and gripping rhythms of this folk music, which is especially popular in the northeast of Brazil, are danced to for nights on end. With a good Forro-Trio no party guest sits still and especially foreign visitors who visit the "Festa de Junina" on their round trip through Brazil are infected by the good atmosphere and are invited by locals to dance.

But not only the music but also the party decoration is inviting and creates a cozy atmosphere with campfires, firecrackers, and fireworks. Everywhere, colorful ribbons and straw decorate the fairgrounds and at every street corner, visitors gather around the campfires. Since the June festivals take place in the Brazilian winter, the warming fires are a welcome festive custom. The typical dishes that decorate the colorful tables of the Festa Junina also fit the season well and consist of various corn dishes according to the harvest time. Corn on the cob, roasted corn, sweet corn paste (pamonha), corn pudding, and delicious corn cake are served. Liqueur and a kind of mulled wine are drunk with it.

Although the Brazilian winter is far from being comparable to the European temperatures of this wet and cold season, in the south of Brazil, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, June is still noticeable with lower temperatures and also in the interior of the more northern states one has to be prepared for cooler nights. But fortunately, the sun almost always shows its best side during the day, so you only have to pack a little warmer at night. Other festive customs include the traditional festive dress, which for men consists of plaid shirts, straw hats, and suspenders. The women wear plaits and long colorful dresses. Also, group dances, such as the quadrilha, the Tambor de Crioula (the Creole drum), and the performance of the Boi-Bumba, are typical for the June festivities and inspire all who spend their vacations in Brazil at this time. The charm of the "Festa Junina" is unique and every Brazil traveler should experience it at least once.

Sources: www.brasilportal.net; www.festajunina.eu; www.floripa-trips.de