Festa Junina: how did it come about and what are the traditions?

In addition to the religious character, the June festivities also serve as a commemoration of good corn harvests.

In the month of June, Brazilians unite to celebrate the Festa Junina, which concerns a set of celebrations that extends throughout the month. Dishes made from corn, lots of music, dancing and fun take over the fairs.

Today, the celebrations receive a content of popular festivities, however, the origin goes back to the religious context of the Middle Ages.

To better understand the emergence of the Festa Junina, as well as get to know a little about the June articles, continue reading below!

How did the Festa Junina come about?

Festa Junina is one of the biggest celebrations in Brazil, second only to Carnival in grandeur. The celebrations of this period of the year do not date from today, in fact they already existed in the Iberian peninsula for a long time.

There are those who say that the celebration was created by the Catholic Church with the aim of commemorating the Day of Saint John the Baptist (24/06), receiving the name of Joanine Party. That's right! The Festa Junina was a creation of the Church in medieval Europe.

However, nowadays, it has become one of the commemorations of the Brazilian folklore. However, to avoid conflicts involving religion, in many places in Brazil, the celebration was renamed Festa da Cultura Popular Brasileira.

By the way, here in Brazil, the term 'Joanino' received a change, being called 'Junina', a clear reference to the month of its occasion – June. This month, in addition to Saint John's Day, we also have Saint Anthony's Day (13/06), the matchmaker, and Saint Peter's Day (26/06).

a cultural plurality

At the time of colonization, the Joanine celebrations came to Brazil, undergoing some changes. Remembering that since the period of colonization, the country has been influenced by various elements of different cultures.

In other words, our June festivities are loaded with Portuguese, Spanish, French and Chinese symbols. From Portugal, our festivities inherited the commemorative dates of the three saints: São João, Santo Antônio and São Pedro. From France, we inherited the noble dance, which in Tupiniquin lands became our gang.

In France, dancing was done in groups and/or in pairs around bonfires. The ritual functioned as a thank you to the saints. And speaking of dancing, the ribbon dance was an element brought from the Iberian Peninsula, which adapted here, reaching the famous stick of ribbons.

Now, Festa Junina without fireworks is not Festa Junina, is it? This tradition was inherited from China, the region that gave rise to gunpowder.

Festa Junina, but also Festa do Milho

All these influences listed above gained a Brazilian breakthrough, especially when they arrived in the Northeast. The region not only brought together all the inherited cultural elements, but also made the festivity a great celebration of corn harvest, which takes place in June.

For farmers who plant corn in March, the month of June is graced by the three saints, who prepare the good harvest. You can already see that the main raw material of typical dishes is not fortuitous.

Pamonha, curau, popcorn, corn cake and couscous make great feasts on this date, showing the result of a bountiful harvest.

Main elements of the Festas Juninas

As expected, year after year the Festas Juninas have some characteristic elements, which go far beyond the typical dishes. Such articles are so popular that together they express the essence of the June celebrations. Let's look at some of them below.

camp

It is very common for the place where the celebrations take place to be called arraial, or in popular vocabulary – arraiá. The outdoor venue is the meeting point for people who gather to set up tents, dance, participate in games and taste typical dishes.

Now, when the celebrations are held by the Church, they are called quermesse, which means 'church fair'.

Bonfire

In addition to the outdoor location, one of the main symbols of Festa Junina is the bonfire. According to legend, for each of the three Saints of June there is a specific type of bonfire. According to Catholic tradition, the bonfire would have arisen from a deal made between Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary. Isabel would have asked for a bonfire to be burned to announce the birth of her son João.

In the Northeast, bonfires are still part of the tradition. There are even techniques and specific woods so that the lighting lasts for several days on end.

Balloons

Balloons are also June symbols that came from Portugal. In the old days, in Brazil, balloons were released in the air to warn that the festivities were about to begin.

However, according to the Environmental Crimes Law nº 9.605, of 1998, selling and releasing balloons is a crime. This is because these articles can cause fires, putting the environment at risk, hence the justification for the Ban on releasing balloons.

Thus, currently, we only find June balloons as decoration items, which are hung together with the little flags.

flags

Certainly, one of the greatest symbols of the Festas Juninas are the little flags. In the early Catholic days of celebrations, the little flags had images of saints stamped on them. But, little by little, the festival itself began to have a more folkloric than religious content, so that the little flags stopped bearing the images of sanctities, gaining a colorful and plain appearance.

And you, what elements do you like the most in Festas Juninas? If you liked this post, then let's share it in WhatsApp groups with friends, who always get together for the June celebrations!