Festa Junina

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The Festa Junina (Portuguese: June Festival) is the name of annual Brazilian celebrations which take place in the middle of winter and are most associated with Northeastern Brazil, but celebrated in the whole country. It's mainly celebrated on the following days of the Catholic feast of Saint Anthony, John the Baptist 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.

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, Maceió 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 (in the state of Pernambuco), and Campina Grande, Paraíba. In fact, Caruaru features in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the biggest outdoor country festival. As the festivals also coincide with the corn harvest, dishes served during the Festas Juninas as commonly made with corn, such as canjica and pamonha; dishes also include peanuts, potatoes sausages and also sweet rice. The celebrations are very colorful and festive and often include pyrotechnics.