How to Celebrate Festa Junina in Brazil
In Brazil, the Festa Junina is the festival to celebrate Saint John the Baptist. In pagan times, the festival was a celebration of the summer solstice. The Festa Junina festival is held in June, which is the start of the Brazilian winter. Many of the festivities were imported to Brazil from Europeans and they retain a European flavor.
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Instructions
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Dress warmly. Although Brazil is a warm country, Festa Junina occurs during the winter.
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Bring along your rain gear. Brazil experiences a lot of rain during the early winter, when the Festa Junina is celebrated. Bring along an umbrella and a raincoat to keep dry.
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Dress up for the Quadrilha. This traditional dance is a Brazilian form of square dancing that is a major part of the Festa Junina celebrations. Men dress in suspenders to mimic farm hands and women dress up like gap-toothed, pig-tailed farm girls. The dance celebrates Brazilian county music.
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Try out several of the regional foods served during Festa Junina. The festival is also a celebration of harvesting corn, so many dishes feature corn. Traditional dishes include canjica, which tastes a bit like sweet popcorn, and pamonha, which is akin to a tamale.
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Travel to the Brazilian city of Caruaru to celebrate the largest Festa Junina gathering in the country. Caruaru has competed with other cities in the past to hold the largest celebration and was awarded that distinction by the Guinness Book of World Records.
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Pace your drinking to enjoy the whole festival. In typical Brazilian fashion, Festa Junina can last up to 2 weeks long, with huge parties raging the entire time.
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Wear colorful clothing. While many people dress in costumes similar to the peasant-like Quadrilha costumes, even those who don't will sport brightly colored outfits to praise Saint John the Baptist.
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Remain in populated areas for the duration of the festival. Gunfire is one of the traditional ways to celebrate St. Joan's birthday, so hanging out in dark or deserted areas may be dangerous.
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Tips & Warnings
Book your hotel and flight early if you are going to Brazil to celebrate Festa Junina. The solstice festival is very popular in the Northeast especially, so reservations go quickly.
Keep your money in a pouch or wallet on the inside of your clothing. Large festival crowds can attract pick-pockets.
Leave the kids at home. Like many Brazilian festivals, the solstice celebration can get quite rowdy.
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Comments
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I can't wait to take Sophia to her very first Brazilian Folk Festival. My Mom is sending a dress from Brazil on the mail, I hope it gets here before June 2nd.
