The biggest June festivities of Brazil
4 daysForró, quadrilha, bonfires, food and a lot of history and culture are present at the festivals of Campina Grande and Caruaru.
The June festivities are the second most important popular Brazilian feasts, second only to Carnival. The celebration in honor of three saints – São João, São Pedro and Santo Antônio – usually happens in the month of June and gathers together millions of people in the five regions of Brazil.
The programming is more or less the same throughout the country: there are lots of forró, the typical music of the festivities; plenty of food, mainly corn-based; many games, such as fishing, can knock down and a mock-up caipira (Brazilian hillbilly) wedding; and lots of decorations, such as colorful flags and huge bonfires, which also serve to heat up the winter nights.
However, each place has its variations. In the Southeast, quermesses (outdoor fairs with raffles and games) and quadrilha dances (performed by couples) are common. In the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the traditional caipira clothes are replaced by pilcha (typical garment of the region). But it is in the Northeast that the feast is most expressive, mostly in Campina Grande, Paraíba, and Caruaru, in Pernambuco, the cities which annually compete for the title of the biggest June festivities in the Country.
How about participating in the two celebrations while also visiting these important cities of the Northeast region of Brazil? Grab your straw hat, your plaid shirt, your jumpsuit with patches sewn in and embark on this journey in the rhythm of forró.
The self-proclaimed "Biggest São João in the World" (São João is another way of calling the June festivities), the feast in Campina Grande happens during 30 days and brings together more than 2 million people from every corner of the country. The city becomes crowded during the entire month of June. So don't forget to book accommodations well in advance. And that goes also for Caruaru!
The celebration takes place everywhere, but happens mostly at Parque do Povo, a large area with 42000 square meters, the equivalent to more than 4 soccer fields! During the month of celebration, more than 500 hours of live music, played by about 200 artists, can be heard.
The festivities happen mainly at night. So, before that, take some time to visit the famous Pedra do Ingá. Located 38 km from Campina Grande, it is an archaeological site with inscriptions carved in the rock representing animals, fruits and constellations. Their age or what these drawings mean are not known. And some say it's the work of aliens.
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Get on Expresso do Forró, an old locomotive that goes from Campina Grande to Galante, 12 km away, with lots of music and fun. In each of the 7 wagons, a forró (a genre of Brazilian music) trio livens up the party. Upon arriving at the destination, you are greeted with more music and may taste delicious food at the central market.
On the way back, as a counterpoint to the previous day's rock drawings, immerse yourself in the modern architecture of the Museum of Folk Art of Paraíba, also known as Museu dos Três Pandeiros. The last project of the renowned modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer, it has an extensive collection of music, crafts, cordel literature (typical of the Northeast of Brazil) and other artistic manifestations of the region. It’s unforgettable!
And at night, of course, return to Parque do Povo, for more dancing and typical foods. Appease your hunger (and gluttony) in one of the 300 restaurants, bars and kiosks scattered around the site, serving both delicacies typical of the festivities as well as the culinary specialties of the region. Don’t know what to choose? We recommend carne de sol (salted beef) and macaxera (cassava), with lots, lots and lots of manteiga de garrafa (a dairy product made from the cream of cow’s milk) on top. And if you don't eat meat, then enjoy the delicacies made from corn, which is harvested at this time of the year, such as canjica, pamonha, curau and, of course, popcorn.
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Want to learn about the traditions of the state of Pernambuco, land of Luiz Gonzaga, songwriter and accordion player who was enthroned King of Baião (a rhythm that resembles forró)? Then the June festivities of Caruaru were made for you. The city is located about 150 km from Campina Grande. And the trip can be made by car or bus.
The celebration takes place on Pátio de Eventos, and brings together hundreds of artists, most originated from the region, playing lots of forró pé-de-serra, that is, legitimate forró. However, if you prefer other rhythms, don't worry: the programming always makes room for other beats, like sertanejo (Brazilian country music), música popular brasileira (Brazilian pop music) and even rock.
The 2 million visitors, over 400 shows and hundreds of food stalls amount to a revenue of more than R$ 200 million!
However, before the party, here it is also worth it to tour around the city.
The first stop is Caruaru’s Street Market, immortalized in the voice of Luiz Gonzaga. In the Feira de Caruaru (Caruaru’s Fair) song, the accordion player says: "de tudo o que há no mundo nela tem pra vender." (everything there is in the world you will find there) Overstatements apart, the place is worth the visit. It has dozens of booths offering clothes, accessories, household utensils, fruit, vegetables, ice cream, food and more. Come to think of it, the composer was not so wrong.
Then, not far from there is Morro do Bom Jesus, a hill which is ideal for climbing in the evening to enjoy the most beautiful view of the city. And the best Sunset.
After Luiz Gonzaga, it is time to remember another great local artist, Mestre Vitalino, famous for portraying the culture and folklore of the Northeast of Brazil in iconic clay dolls. In honor of the craftsman, the programming has two parts.
Start with Alto do Moura, which has a sign on its entranceway in which it claims to be "the largest center of figurative arts of the Americas". It is an important center for handicrafts. Master Vitalino was born nearby it. His influence is noticed everywhere, with several artists selling works similar to his. Proceed then to Museu Casa Mestre Vitalino, a museum which was set up at the house where the artist used to live. There, you can see some more of his history and work.
With the end of the tour, it is now time to get back to Pátio de Eventos, to continue partying. And to have a little more fun in the steps of forró, in this huge celebration of joy.
