Samba Boston - June Festival

Samba, Pagode,
Chorinho,
Bossa Nova, and more !

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A little bit of Brazil in New England and beyond !!!

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FESTA JUNINA

The Festa Junina ("June Festival") are annual Brazilian celebrations which take place in
the middle of winter and are most associated with Brazil's Northeast. They are mainly
celebrated on key days following the Catholic feast days of Saint Anthony, John the
Apostle and Saint Peter.

As the northeast is largely arid or semi-arid these
popular festivals not only coincide with the rainy
seasons of most states in the northeast but they
also provide the people with an opportunity to give
thanks to Saint Peter and Saint John for the rain.
They also celebrate rural life and feature typical
clothing, food, dance (particularly quadrilha which
is similar to square dancing), and music.

Today they are also associated with rodeos,
reflecting the success of country music in Brazil
and its local equivalent, forró, which defines the festivals on a sonic level. Usually
taking place in an arraial, a large, open space outdoors, men dress up as farm boys with
suspenders and large straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth
and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of the music, and of
themselves, many of whom are recent immigrants from the countryside to cities such as
Olinda, Recife, and Salvador, and many of whom return to the rural areas during that
season to visit family.

Two northeastern cities in particular have competed with each other for the title of
"Biggest Saint John Festival in the World", namely Caruaru, Pernambuco and
Campina Grande, Paraíba. In fact, Caruaru, Pernambuco features in the Guinness Book
of World Records for holding the biggest, outdoor, country festival. As the festivals also
coincide with the corn harvest typical dishes served during the Festas Juninas primarily
involve corn and dishes made with corn such as canjica and pamonha, but also include
peanuts, potatoes and sausages. The celebrations are very colorful and festive and
often include pyrotechnics.