St. John's Festival, Brazil's crown jewel of cultural celebration

teleSUR English

Caruaru, Pernambuco, has transformed into the epicenter of Brazil's largest folk festival, drawing 3 million visitors over the past two weeks alone. This UNESCO-recognized celebration—honoring saints John, Anthony, and Peter—melds Catholic traditions, indigenous rituals, and Afro-Brazilian heritage into a month-long spectacle of music, dance, and community unity. The St. John’s Festival is more than a party—it’s a resilient symbol of Northeastern identity. Amid climate crises and urbanization, it preserves agrarian heritage while adapting to modernity.   #FestaJunina  #SãoJoão  #BrazilCulture  #Caruaru #Forró  #NortheastBrazil  #CulturalHeritage #FestivalVibes  #TravelBrazil  These and more stories now! 🌐Join teleSUR's community and be part of a space where your ideas matter.  https://chat.whatsapp.com/KLABTE41aSj3ioYabXQQ6K 🗣 Don't be left behind, join teleSUR's Channel https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va98Z437Noa2tjytCt1N Web💬 https://www.telesurenglish.net/ X🧶 https://twitter.com/telesurenglish Instagram 📸 https://www.instagram.com/telesurenglish/?hl=es Facebook 📱 https://www.facebook.com/teleSUREnglishOfficial Youtube ⏯ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmuTmpLY35O3csvhyA6vrkg Tiktok👌🏼 https://www.tiktok.com/@telesurenglish?_t=8hMLCY0a6z7&_r=1

Transcript

00:01It's June in Brazil, and June only means one thing in the Brazilian Northeast.

00:07It's the St. John's Festival, in some places lasting the entire month,

00:12other places starting on St. Anthony's Day, continuing to St. Peter's Day.

00:16But the most important night of this annual holiday is St. John's, and it's St. John's here in Caruaru,

00:22where an estimated 3 million people have come over the last couple of weeks

00:27to eat traditional foods centered around the corn harvest coming from the indigenous tradition,

00:33to dance to Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and to see this mixed with a tradition originally brought over from Europe

00:40by Portuguese colonists celebrating midsummer, even though it's midwinter here,

00:44and this is done with bonfires and lighting off fireworks.

00:47So it's a kind of family holiday in which people of all ages come out to dance, to eat and drink with their friends,

00:56and if they're Catholic, to remember the Catholic saints, if they worship Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé,

01:03they know that St. John's Day is also the day that people in Brazil commemorate Shango, the Yoruba God,

01:10and it's just a general holiday feeling.

01:13Schools are closed this week, and everyone's out on the street having a good time here in Caruaru.

01:18Yeah.

01:20Yes.

01:23Yes.

01:24What do you think of Frontif Wild Oats

01:28AreHida?

01:29Yes!

01:31foul

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