What are
the June Feasts or Saint-John Feasts?
June in Brazil sees the joyful anf colourful June Feasts (also known
as Saint-John Feasts in the North and Northeast of Brazil). They were
created to pay homage to the Saints of the Portuguese Catholic tradition,
brought to Brazil during the colonial period (1500-1822).
Originally, in Europe, these feasts were
celebrating good harvests. As they gathered a rural population, they became
known as « hillbilies feasts ».
The European tradition has been readily
incorporated in the customs of the indigenous and black populations.
The climax of the June Feasts are the quadrilles,
(similar to square dancing)
that originates in the rural French dances, and then became part of the dances
of the nobility. The Portuguese Court brought this dance to Brazil in the XIX
century, when the royal Portuguese moved there. The quadrille kept some
French characteristics and added some other ones, more to the taste of the
local people. Some words of the dance leader come from French, such as
« tour » (turn around), « balancê » (body rocking),
« en avant » (forward).
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.
In the Northeast, they are as popular as Carnival.
These festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes),
dancing at the sound of folk music. drinking, and eating special dishes served
during São João are made with corn, may also include peanuts, sweet potatoes,
and manioc.
What’s a Baby Shower ?
It is a popular tradition in Brasil, USA and
other countries. Normally a Baby Shower is offered to the the mum-to-be by a
friend or another woman in the family and only woman take part of the party.
The Purpose :
1. A Baby Shower allows friends and family to share the joy and excitement of welcoming a new life into the world,
1. A Baby Shower allows friends and family to share the joy and excitement of welcoming a new life into the world,
2. Provide emotional support to new mum.
3. Often provides the parents with much needed
gifts for the baby.
4. Give a
little "me time" for the mother to
be cherished by her friends.
The Idea :
Make a party with mommy with funny
games, around a meal « return to childhood ».
What to bring?
A
lot of cheerfulness to join the party!
And
a little gift that will be explained to you in a private and personalized email
What not to bring?
The
Braziliand tradition for a baby shower says that it happens just between women,
so no husband nor children
Dress code?
- For Sint John’s party, we dress like farm
boys and for Gui, we will custom like farmers to pay homage to the little
child to come!
- How to dress: patched jeans,
chequered shirts, exaggerated imprints, patched shirts
- Accessories : Tie, neckerchief,
straw hat, cow-boy hat.
- Makeup : moustache, beard, bushy eyebrows and black teeth drawn by eye pencil.
- More ideas on the websites referred in
the blog.