🇬🇧 Juhannus and brazilian June festivals

Some time ago I was curious to know if in other countries there are parties equivalent to the Brazilian June festivals. In the last few days I saw several posts about Juhannus in Finland, and researching more, I found that, although the way of partying is different, the reason for the party is practically the same. Wikipedia says that Juhannus refers to St. John.

In Brazil, in the month of June, we celebrate some Catholic saints, with emphasis on St. Anthony (13), St. John (24) and St. Peter (29). Brazil has been a secular country for at least 33 years, but the Catholic religion is predominant in popular culture and affects some holidays and celebrations in the country.

The way to celebrate the date is usually to dance the “quadrilha” around a bonfire, wearing country clothes, full of patches and scraps. This is the most common form in schools and in family celebrations with children. In my hometown, some leisure clubs celebrated the saints I mentioned by making a big party at night, with bonfires, music (usually forró all night), dancing (not the quadrille, but the forró), and plenty of typical food, for members and people who paid for the ticket. Churches often hold festivals and also celebrate with music and typical foods in abundance. I'll talk more about the typical foods and drinks of the June parties in Brazil in the next post. If you want to tell what food and drinks are typical of these festivities in your country, use the comments for that. I will love to know!

St. Anthony is the matchmaker saint and the day before is Valentine's Day in Brazil. The month usually dedicated to weddings is May, when the winter chill is just beginning. Brazilian brides love to get married in low-cut and sleeveless dresses. I know Finnish Juhannus also has magics related to love relationships, and finding your love. In Brazil, this part is celebrated at the beginning of the month in the St. Anthony festivities, and we also have magics to attract love and marriage.

I know that in Finland people celebrate Juhannus with family and friends in their country houses, outside the cities, or take the opportunity to relax, also outside the city. In Brazil, we go to places where we can party, dance, and taste the delicious typical foods of the season, not only with friends and family, but with many other people. Perhaps because of the Latin influence (mainly Portuguese and Italian), few dates in Brazil are predominantly celebrated with the family. Usually just Christmas and birthday. Brazilians love an agglomeration.

According to videos I saw of Finns commenting on the date, Juhannus is also celebrated with dances around a bonfire. Visually it's a little different (see photos on my Instagram), but learning about Juhannus and thinking about the similarities with the Brazilian June festivals killed my curiosity that I mentioned at the beginning of the text.

Follow the blog and my social media profiles so you don't miss the next posts.

Nycka, the Nomad