Festa de São João
Encyclopedia
Every year, on the 24th June, the city of Porto
, in the north of Portugal
, becomes lively and seemingly crazy. Thousands of people come to the city centre and to the most traditional neighborhoods to pay a tribute to Saint John the Baptist, in a party that mixes sacred and profane
traditions .
The festivities have been held in the city for more than six centuries, yet it was during the 19th century that Saint John's day became impregnated in the city's culture and assumed the status of the city's most important festival .
In June 2004, a journalist from The Guardian
commented that "Porto's Festa de São João is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country" .
In fact, the party starts early in the evening of 23 June and usually lasts until the morning of 24 June. The traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, popular dancing parties, jumping over flames, eating barbecued sardines and meat, drinking wine and releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky .
At midnight the partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle. The show is increasingly sophisticated with the fireworks being associated with themes and multimedia shows. The party has sacred roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the Sun .
One could expect the firework to be the climax and mark the end of the festivities. Yet, it is quite common for citizens of Porto, with all ages, to keep celebrating until 3 or 4 in the morning. Younger people take it even a step further. They walk from Porto's riverside core - Ribeira (for instance the parish of São Nicolau (Porto)
- up to the seaside in Foz (parishes of Foz do Douro
and Nevogilde (Porto)) or in the nearby suburb of Matosinhos
where they wait for the sunrise near the sea.
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, in the north of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, becomes lively and seemingly crazy. Thousands of people come to the city centre and to the most traditional neighborhoods to pay a tribute to Saint John the Baptist, in a party that mixes sacred and profane
Sacred and Profane
Sacred and Profane is a 1987 novel by Faye Kellerman. It is second in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series.A Fawcett Crest Book published by Ballantine Books.Timeline: About six months after The Ritual Bath, starts Christmas Eve, Decker is 39....
traditions .
The festivities have been held in the city for more than six centuries, yet it was during the 19th century that Saint John's day became impregnated in the city's culture and assumed the status of the city's most important festival .
In June 2004, a journalist from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented that "Porto's Festa de São João is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country" .
In fact, the party starts early in the evening of 23 June and usually lasts until the morning of 24 June. The traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, popular dancing parties, jumping over flames, eating barbecued sardines and meat, drinking wine and releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky .
At midnight the partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle. The show is increasingly sophisticated with the fireworks being associated with themes and multimedia shows. The party has sacred roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the Sun .
One could expect the firework to be the climax and mark the end of the festivities. Yet, it is quite common for citizens of Porto, with all ages, to keep celebrating until 3 or 4 in the morning. Younger people take it even a step further. They walk from Porto's riverside core - Ribeira (for instance the parish of São Nicolau (Porto)
São Nicolau (Porto)
São Nicolau is a Portuguese parish of the municipality of Porto. It is 0.21 km² in area with 2,937 inhabitants as of 2001....
- up to the seaside in Foz (parishes of Foz do Douro
Foz do Douro
Foz do Douro is a Portuguese parish of the city and of Porto municipality. It has 12,235 inhabitants and is 3.00 km² in area. It became a parish in 1836...
and Nevogilde (Porto)) or in the nearby suburb of Matosinhos
Matosinhos
Matosinhos Municipality is located in Porto District, Portugal. The main city is Matosinhos. It is bordered to the south by the city of Porto and lies within the Greater Porto subregion. The municipality has a population of 168,451 in 10 parishes. Many people have recently moved from the...
where they wait for the sunrise near the sea.