Festa Junina is a traditional popular festivity that takes place during the month of June. This commemoration is common in all regions of Brazil, especially in the Northeast, and was brought to Brazil by the influence of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Initially, the party had a strictly religious connotation and was held in honor of saints such as São João and Santo Antônio.

Origin of June festivals

Historians point out that the origins of the Festa Junina are directly related to pagan festivities held in Europe in the transition from spring to summer, a moment called the summer solstice. These festivals were held as a way to ward off evil spirits and any pests that could reach the harvest. To better understand this, it is necessary to consider that the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere takes place exactly in the month of June.

The celebrations carried out by different European pagan peoples began to be Christianized from the moment Christianity was consolidated as the main region of the European continent. Thus, the originally pagan festival was incorporated into the festive calendar of Catholicism.

This was a common practice of the Catholic Church. To facilitate the conversion of different pagan peoples, the festivities were acculturated, adding them to the Catholic calendar and adding Christian elements to them. Another festival in which this practice was repeated, for example, was the celebration of Christmas, which takes place every December.

The Christianization of the festival is directly related to the establishment of celebrations of important figures of Catholicism, exactly at the time of the transition to summer, among which Santo Antônio (honored on June 13th), São João (the 24th) and São Pedro (day 29). Eventually, many elements typical of pagan celebrations took on new meaning.

The arrival of the June festival in Brazil

The beginning of the June festival in Brazil dates back to the 16th century. The June festivals were very popular traditions in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and, therefore, were brought here by the Portuguese during colonization, as well as many other traditions. When introduced in Brazil, the festival was known as festa joanina, in reference to São João, but, over the years, its name was changed to festa junina, in reference to the month in which it takes place, June.

Initially, the festival had a strong religious tone – a connotation that was lost in part, since it is seen by many as more of a popular than a religious festival. In addition, the evolution of the Festa Junina in Brazil made it associated with typical symbols of rural areas.

The growth of the festivity happened mainly in the Northeast, region that currently has the biggest parties. The biggest June festival in the country takes place in the city of Campina Grande, located in the state of Paraíba. In 2017, the event was estimated to receive approximately 2.5 million people.

During the June festivals in Brazil, typical dances are performed, such as the quadrilhas. There is also production of numerous foods made from corn and peanuts, such as hominy, pamonha, pé de moleque, in addition to drinks such as quentão. Another very common characteristic is to dress as a redneck in a caricatured way.

SILVA, Daniel Neves. "Origin of the June Festival"; Brazil School. Available at: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/details-festa-junina/origem-festa-junina.htm. Accessed on June 20, 2022.