It's now officially Winter here in Brazil, and right on cue, the nights have started to get just a little bit chilly. Winter here, as I have mentioned before, is nothing like what we are used to in the UK, and it's still scorching hot during most days. At night is when we notice a little bit of a difference, and we even get the opportunity to throw on a jacket, which I personally love doing. It's funny how when you live somewhere cold, you dream of being able to go out jacket-free, yet when it's hot all the time, you start to run out of different outfits to wear, and so you look forward to being able to accessorise a little bit and put on some sort of cover up and perhaps a light scarf to make things that little bit more interesting!
The first sign of winter, for me, in undoubtedly Festa Junina (June Festival) or, as it's also known, Festa de Sao Joao (Festival of Saint John). The festivities were introduced by the Portuguese, and while there are celebrations throughout Brazil for the occasion, it's particularly associated with the North East, so if you choose to head up that way at the end of June then you will undoubtedly experience the best festivals in the country.
Festa Junina is basically a chance to thank St John for the arrival of the rainy season, and also just to celebrate rural life in general, so you will see people dressed up in traditional costumes, with the men decked out as farm hands, and the women with gap-teeth, gingham dresses and pigtails, which is always quite amusing!
There is usually a big bonfire on the evening on 24th June, and lots of dancing inside an Arraial, a huge, old-fashioned tent reserved for special occasions such as this. There is always a quadrilha, which is a big group dance led a couple dressed up as a bride and groom, usually with over thirty other couples also taking part.
Traditional food is served throughout the celebrations, all of them based around corn! The popularity of corn-based foods here in Brazil has always been something of a mystery to me, and I was intrigued, in the beginning, to learn that corn is thought of as a dessert food! Throughout the year, you will see corn-flavoured ice cream on the menu at every Sorveteria (ice cream parlour), and you can often find desserts made with corn if you visit traditional Brazilian restaurants and cafes in the countryside. During Festa de Sao Joao, you can expect to taste Pamonha, a sort of mashed, sweetened corn mixture flavoured with coconut milk and wrapped in fresh corn husks and boiled. There is also a savoury version, which contains the additional ingredient of minced meat, but personally, I am not familiar with it, so I'm not sure whether it's as popular. Bolo de Fuba (a cake made with cornflour) is also eaten during the festivals, as well as various other sweet creations involving corn. I'm not really a fan, personally, as I prefer my corn as a savoury food, but there is one dish I am quite partial to, which is Canjica, made with whole maize kernels, milk, sugar and cinnamon.
(http://cozinha-criativa.blogspot.com.br)
I haven't been able to take part in any celebrations as yet, as I've been so busy with end-of-semester paperwork, but there's going to be a little festival here in the town that I live in, which starts on Thursday. The hubby and I are definitely going to go and get a piece of the action, although I'm not sure we will be going the whole hog and getting dressed up! I'm also not convinced that the music is going to be my cup of tea, as I'm not really a fan of Forro, but I'm going to get into the spirit of things all the same, and will make sure I take a few snaps to share with you all.
The first sign of winter, for me, in undoubtedly Festa Junina (June Festival) or, as it's also known, Festa de Sao Joao (Festival of Saint John). The festivities were introduced by the Portuguese, and while there are celebrations throughout Brazil for the occasion, it's particularly associated with the North East, so if you choose to head up that way at the end of June then you will undoubtedly experience the best festivals in the country.
Festa Junina is basically a chance to thank St John for the arrival of the rainy season, and also just to celebrate rural life in general, so you will see people dressed up in traditional costumes, with the men decked out as farm hands, and the women with gap-teeth, gingham dresses and pigtails, which is always quite amusing!
There is usually a big bonfire on the evening on 24th June, and lots of dancing inside an Arraial, a huge, old-fashioned tent reserved for special occasions such as this. There is always a quadrilha, which is a big group dance led a couple dressed up as a bride and groom, usually with over thirty other couples also taking part.
Traditional food is served throughout the celebrations, all of them based around corn! The popularity of corn-based foods here in Brazil has always been something of a mystery to me, and I was intrigued, in the beginning, to learn that corn is thought of as a dessert food! Throughout the year, you will see corn-flavoured ice cream on the menu at every Sorveteria (ice cream parlour), and you can often find desserts made with corn if you visit traditional Brazilian restaurants and cafes in the countryside. During Festa de Sao Joao, you can expect to taste Pamonha, a sort of mashed, sweetened corn mixture flavoured with coconut milk and wrapped in fresh corn husks and boiled. There is also a savoury version, which contains the additional ingredient of minced meat, but personally, I am not familiar with it, so I'm not sure whether it's as popular. Bolo de Fuba (a cake made with cornflour) is also eaten during the festivals, as well as various other sweet creations involving corn. I'm not really a fan, personally, as I prefer my corn as a savoury food, but there is one dish I am quite partial to, which is Canjica, made with whole maize kernels, milk, sugar and cinnamon.
I haven't been able to take part in any celebrations as yet, as I've been so busy with end-of-semester paperwork, but there's going to be a little festival here in the town that I live in, which starts on Thursday. The hubby and I are definitely going to go and get a piece of the action, although I'm not sure we will be going the whole hog and getting dressed up! I'm also not convinced that the music is going to be my cup of tea, as I'm not really a fan of Forro, but I'm going to get into the spirit of things all the same, and will make sure I take a few snaps to share with you all.
1 comment:
Quick tip, if you ever decide to make your own bolo de fuba, it's made with polenta ("fuba"), not cornflour ("amido de milho" or "Maizena").
Post a Comment