Festa Junina: An Authentic Brazilian Tradition Celebrated at UFSC

by Matthew Brown                                                       Back to JOUR 440 Page

“When I go to the June Festival I like to eat pinhão and pipoca. It is a great party to drink quentão with my friends and meet girls.” João Augusto said explaining what he expects to enjoy at the Festa Junina.

The Architecture Department hosted a party to celebrate the Catholic Feast Day of St. John the Baptist on June 24th at UFSC, one of three saints celebrated during the Festa Junina.

The Festa Junina is a mix of Catholic and pagan traditions honoring saints Anthony, John, and Peter that has European roots, particularily from Portugal and France.

The celebrations start on June 12th, the day before St. Anthony‘s day, when women not wanting to be single forever seek help from Santo Antonio to find them a husband before they get old. June 12 is also Dia dos Namorados (Valentine's Day) in Brazil. St. John‘s day is June 24th. The festivities wind down on St. Peter‘s day, June 29th.

“As children we would paint our faces and run around, but now that we are older when we go out you don’t because you don’t know who you might see. I have to look good for the girls so they will dance with me” Florianopolis resident Sergio Vidal said.

MOCK WEDDING AND QUADRILHA

The festival is marked by a mock wedding with the groom attempting to escape only to be pulled back by the father and boys, which leads into quadrilha, which is similar to square-dancing, a very festive and animated dance that gets the party hopping.

The bride and a runaway groom are joined in a "casamento na roça" (mock wedding)

The Festa Junina takes place in in a large open area to allow for dancing, bonfires, a variety of booths, a jail, and the mandatory “tunnel of love,” where new lovers can get to know one another.

The hosts push the rural theme, with the men donning farming overalls and straw hats, while the ladies make themselves up with freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered tablecloth dresses.

The animated "quadrilha" (square dance) gets the party going

Brazilians love their music and at the celebration traditional forró is played. The music uses only three instruments (accordion, zabumba and a metal triangle), and it is also now known as forró pé-de-serra.

FOOD AND DRINKS

“The typical food is paçoca (with amendoim or peanuts),” UFSC student Ingrid said, as she and her fellow architecture classmates donned their traditional dress and described the common foods and drinks of the Festa Junina.

Quentão and Vinho Quente (hot wine) were served as the traditional drinks at the UFSC festival, warming up the crowd.

Children celebrate the occasion with games such as "Coelho na Toca" (Rabbit in the Burrow), fishing games or pin the tail on the donkey. Lessons for children and beliefs are taught by the bonfires set at Festas Juninas, supported by expressions such as " kids cannot play with fire" or "you cannot push the firewood with your feet.”

Traditionally, Festa Junina was also an occasion for rural families to join together and celebrate returning family members who had gone off to work in larger cities.

At UFSC, the students danced into the night, socializing and laughing with each other playfully, as the mood of community and unity made for a successful celebration.

The "Festa Junina" is an occasion for celebration and fellowship among students