June Parties, or Festas Juninas
as they are known in Brazil, are parties held throughout the month of June to
commemorate the saints John, Peter and/or Anthony (depending on the
region). Brought to Brazil by the Portuguese when they colonized the country in
the early 1500´s, the parties are a celebration with fireworks,
dancing, eating and drinking, costume wearing and games.
June parties are celebrated in
many countries around the world. However, they are particularly popular in Christian
European countries because of their origin and much of the festivity is
dedicated to Saint John the Baptist as he is said to have been born six
months before the birth of Christ; hence the traditional ´Feast of Saint John´
on the 24th of June.
The original name of the celebration
in Brazil was Festa Joanina (party of little John), but over time
the name became Festa Junina (June party) probably as a
result of its connections with the month of June.
The parties in Brazil are a
mixture of various cultures from around the world, including dances from France
and fireworks from China, but also include a ´Brazilian touch´ with a smorgasbord
of food and drink, be it corn and peanut sweets, cakes of many
types, pastries of all shapes and sizes, popcorn, or a warm
glass of Quentão; a traditional wine, fruit and spice mixture
similar to Mull wine from England or Sangria from Spain.
The traditional costume
for the parties is ´Caipira´, or ´Country´ in English, and the
people enjoy square dancing dressed in an assortment of chequered shirts, straw
hats, painted freckles and riding boots.
Today, above all, June parties
are a great reason for churches, schools, colleges, companies and even families
and friends to get together to have some fun and let their hair down. Every
weekend during the month you
can encounter the Country Music of a Festa Junina close by.