Jun in Brazil, is one of the best time to celebrate São João. This is a party celebrate specially in the northeastern Brazil. The party was originated in the city of Oporto-Portugal on the 24th of Jun.
As Northeastern is largely arid or semi-arid these popular festivals not only coincide with the end of the rainy seasons of most states in the northeast but they also provide the people with an opportunity to give thanks to Saint John for the rain. They also celebrate rural life and feature typical clothing, food,dance (particularly quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing. São João celebrates marital union. The "quadrilha" features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing.
The celebrations usually take place in an arraial, a huge tent made of raw material with a thatched roof that was reserved for special parties in old rural areas. Men dress up as farm boys with large straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of Brazilian country music, and of themselves, some of whom are recent immigrants from the countryside to cities such as Olinda, Recife,Maceio and Salvador and some of whom return to the rural areas during that season to visit family. However, nowadays, São João festivities are extremely popular in all urban areas and among all social classes. In the Northeast, they are as popular as Carnival. Like during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Bonfires are lit. They can be seen everywhere in northeastern cities. Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest São João Festival in the World", namely Caruaru in Pernambuco and Campina Grande in Paraiba. In fact, Caruaru features is known in the Guiness Book, World Records for holding the biggest outdoor country festival.
São João also coincides with the corns harvest, and they serve most of the food made with corn, such as brazilian cuzcuz.
Unfortunately in Australia the attempt to hold this festival is very poor, as most Brazilians like to distance themselves from their roots.....
