Festa Junina Meetings - Brazil

In Brazil, June is a month of festivities and for Brazilian postcrossers this is the perfect excuse for a meeting. Even though these cards are from different years, I think it makes sense to post them together. They were sent by Luzia and Valéria.

Postcard design by freepik.com and Paloma Miranda 

Festa Junina, or the June Festival, is a Catholic tradition that was introduced to Brazil during the country’s colonization by Portugal (from 1500 to 1822). Its events are based on the European Midsummer festivities, which celebrate the harvest and the saints, mainly Saint Anthony, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Peter. 

Postcard design and layout: Léia Guimarães. Illutrations source: Freepik

 All of Brazil celebrates this annual event. The largest festivities happen in the northeast of Brazil where the scale of celebrations is similar to Carnival.

Because this festival celebrates the harvest, events can take on a rural theme, as do the costumes, which resemble a typical countryside style and conjure images of farmers. Dancing is also an important part of the celebrations and is centered around the quadrilha, a typical Festa Junina dance accompanied by a music genre called forró. 

The food of Festa Junina is comforting and uses local ingredients—as you would expect of dishes made in the countryside. Typical foods include bolo de fubá (corn cakes made from finely ground rice or corn flour), curau (corn mixed with condensed milk and peanuts, then topped with cinnamon), cocada de colher (shredded coconut mixed with condensed milk and butter), pé-de-moleque (a type of sweet treat made with hard toffee and peanuts), and paçoca (candy made out of crushed peanuts).

 

 Design and art - Danieli Dagnoni

After Carnival, Festa Junina is the largest celebration in Brazil. As with Carnival, some cities have bigger festivities and events than others. The largest of all the celebrations happen in Campina Grande, in the state of Paraiba, and in Caruaru, in the state of Pernambuco—both in the northeast. Each region attracts millions of visitors each year and the parties there continue well into July. The state of Bahia also has large-scale celebrations, especially in Porto Seguro. - in: https://theculturetrip.com