June Festivals draw tourists in search of regional celebrations

June Festivals are a mainstay of the Brazilian cultural event calendar. Held between June and July (June alone was not enough), the festivals are known for the typical meals, traditional costumes and popular dances and celebrate three Catholic Saints: St. John, St. Peter and St. Anthony. According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, the event is one of the most sought-after by visitors.

Photos: Roberto Castro/MTur

Northeast

The largest celebrations take place in the northeast of the country, mainly in the cities of Campina Grande (Paraíba) and Caruaru (Pernambuco). Together, they attract five million people and help inject R$ 440 million into the economy every year. 

History

June Festivals arrived in Brazil with the Portuguese and date back to medieval traditions. They have now become traditional feasts, officially incorporated into the Catholic calendar.

The Event

The festivities, which celebrate rural customs, include quermesses (from 'kermesse'), traditional parties in which typical dishes and drinks are sold.

The dishes are chiefly based on corn, cassava, coconut and peanuts (such as pamonha, canjica, cocada, cakes and pies), while the main drink is quentão, made from mulled wine or cachaça.

The decoration of the events is also a big highlight, with colourful flags hung on streets and squares to celebrate the occasion.

In the quadrilhas, a French-origin form of square dancing, participants dance in colourful costumes that folklore associates with caipiras (a colloquial term to describe people from the countryside), with each of the steps dictated through song by a master of ceremonies. The dance represents a marriage, and often features a "priest" that stages the wedding of a couple.  

It is also customary to light a fire in honour of St. John the Baptist. Catholic tradition says that the saint's mother, Elizabeth, lit a fire on a mountain to alert her cousin Mary that she had given birth. 

Off the beaten path

June Festivals are also a big event in other regions of the country, such as in Ceilândia (Federal District), where it is celebrated with forró, a north-eastern dance style. In Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), a quadrilha championship is the big draw for visits. In Bragança (Pará), Amazonian myths are mixed with June Festival traditions to create unique festivities. In 2018, there were 96 June Festivals in 87 cities.