Festa Junina in Brazil

Celebrating the month of June is an old habit in many parts of the world. In Catholic countries in Europe, the June festivities have been a tradition since the 4th century. The first name they received, “joaninas”, was in honor of São João and ended up being modified over the years. Santos Antônio and Pedro are also celebrated in June, but São João has always had more devotees on the European continent. Therefore, the party was named after him. The custom arrived in Brazil with the Portuguese colonizers and ended up receiving cultural influences from each region. There are several ways to celebrate the June festivities from north to south:

North East: In terms of forró, the June festivities stand out in Campina Grande, in Paraíba, and Caruaru, in Pernambuco. In these cities, they last a month. In Campina Grande, the main attractions are the shows (free), in Parque do Povo, and the game known as “train forroviário”, in which passengers travel dancing in wagons to the rhythm of forró. The “forró train” also animates Caruaru. It departs from the capital, Recife, bound for Caruaru.

Southeast: in addition to typical food (popcorn, pé-de-moleque and quento, among others), hot dogs, pastels and even pizza are eaten at the June festivities in this part of the country. When it’s time to play, everyone participates in fishing, square dance competitions and weddings in the countryside to the sound of country music.

Midwest: in this region, the party is influenced by typical habits of bordering countries (especially Paraguay). In addition to square dancing and typical dishes, the June festivities take place with the sound of Paraguayan polka and Paraguayan soup (which is actually a kind of cheese cake). The sertanejo rhythm sets the rhythm of the party.

South: Gaucho tradition dictates that the family gather around the dinner table. And spend the night savoring typical food, such as rice, scrambled beans and pine nuts cooked in water or roasted over coals.

North: the typical festival is overshadowed by the Parintins folk festival, which takes place at the end of June in the Amazon. Instead of the quadrilha, the sound of the ox-bumbá is heard. Regional recipes such as tapioca (cassava based) and tacacá (indigenous drink) are served.

Organize your Festa Junina

Were you excited to celebrate the June saints? If you hurry, there’s still time. Seek to unite friends to organize the party. It always takes work. Therefore, the more people to help, the better. Check out some tips:

· Divide people into teams: operational, decorations, advertising and administrative. The operative will take care of the details of the party (choose the date, see how many and which tents should participate and how much money they will spend, take care of the food and so on). The ornaments team is responsible for decorating. The advertising agency should order leaflets, banners, in short, everything it can to publicize the party. The administrative one will be responsible for purchasing and controlling the money (of what is spent and what is collected)

· Funding a June party can be expensive. Therefore, make a “crowdfunding” among the teams, raising money for expenses. Afterwards, it covers ticket for the entrance. Suggestion: from BRL 5 to BRL 10 per adult

· What can’t be missing: typical food and drinks (popcorn, quentão…), non-regional foods (hot dogs…), typical music (forró, quadrilha or sertaneja). Ask the children to help take care of the play tents and organize the square.