June is the month of celebrations and festivities for the Popular Saints throughout the country on the nights of St. Anthony, St. John and St. Peter.
The main ones are the Festas de Lisboa, on 12 and 13 June, St. Anthony’s day, and inPorto on the night of 23/24 June when St. John (São João) is celebrated. These are enormously vivid celebrations, during which the people take to the streets eating, drinking and having fun in the old neighbourhoods, that are bedecked with arches, colourful balloons and the aroma of sweet basil. In Lisbon, people from every neighbourhood parade down Avenida da Liberdade, filling this major road with colourful characters in costume, folk music, and throngs of spectators. But the crowds and liveliness also fill the narrow back streets, particularly in Alfama, but also Graça, Bica, Mouraria and Madragoa. In the mediaeval squares and alleyways, people eat cabbage soup and grilled sardines, singing and dancing the whole night long. Another highlight is the procession of St. Anthony, which leaves on the 13th from the church of S. António in Alfama, near the Cathedral, where the saint was born in around 1193.
The festivities are just as colourful and lively in Porto, in the more traditional neighbourhoods that include Miragaia, Fontainhas, Ribeira, and Massarelos. But Porto has other habits and customs: the old tradition was for revellers to beat each other on the head with a leek, but now they use plastic hammers; and besides the firework display at midnight on the River Douro in the centre of Porto, people also release colourful hot air balloons into the sky, making one of the most beautiful spectacles in these popular celebrations. For many, the night ends on the beach, to see the sun rise, and some still follow the tradition of taking an early morning dip in the sea.
St. Peter (São Pedro) is celebrated on 29 June, also with popular festivals in various parts of the country, such as Sintraand Évora, both on the World Heritage list. Évora, incidentally, has the distinction of celebrating two popular saints, since it has held the St. John Fair since the 16th century, one of the largest in southern Portugal, as well as celebrating the feast of St. Peter as a municipal holiday.
All over the country, June is the month of Popular Saints (Santos
Populares). At Porto, São João de Baptista is the celebrated saint. The sacred
and the profane go hand in hand, joining together to create the city's biggest
festival of the year.
Get involved in the festivals and get to know the soul and the people of
Porto, through the unique experience of living the festival that characterizes
it the best. For that, we are going to show you the history of São João, so
that you get to know the symbols in their full extent, and so that during your
visit you have a feel for the celebrations you'll get to see all over the city.
Sacred and Profane
São João Baptista is a "Holy Saint", being celebrated on the
streets and in full by people. The first references of festivals in his honor
come from the 14th century, the involvement of the Portuguese has been since
always marked not only by the force with which they adhere to the festivals,
but also for their effort in organizing the initiatives that make Porto's
festivals.
The festival of São João Baptista is also the summer solstice festival,
marking the solar course peak and inheriting all of the symbols characteristic
of a festival with pagan origins. Religious expressions are narrower nowadays,
summed to the interior of sacred spaces, where folk's memory is materialized -
the church and chapels - and the altars, in honor of the saint.
Don't miss the churches and chapels that evocate São João Baptista, and
enjoy the art and testimony of renowned national and international masters
artistic expressions. Places like the Church of S. Francisco, the Church of the
Convent of São João Novo, the Cathedral, the Clérigos Church, the Almas Chapel
(The Souls' Chapel) and the Church of São João da Foz.
Don't miss
any of these places!
The Symbols of Porto's Festivals
During the festivals of São João, we see bonfires, sweet basil, leek and
little hammers a bit all over the city.
The bonfires of São João are lit in the streets by groups of residents and
friends that show their bravery as they jump over them, and have purifying
virtues, keeping health, marriage and business in view. In the evening and
night of São João, dew water is holy, with a divine power that cure diseases,
gives beauty to the youth and encourages love. This night, the dew is felt with
clarity. Nowadays dew is a part of the festival ritual itself.
Basil is the most popular type of aromatic herb. It can get basil at any
downtown street, either for decoration or for a gift. They are sold in pots
adorned with a small flag, attached by a wire, with a popular quatrain allusive
to the festival. As for the leek, it became the quintessential symbol of
Porto's São João Festivals. Leek is used at the longest night of the year, to
touch and offer its scent to passersby, wishing good luck and good fortunes in
life.
At downtown, at the stalls where men tout and sell traditional sweet basil,
cloves, lemon balm and leek, there's also the modern little hammers. Made of
plastic, they produce a sound very unique of this festival. They are
indispensable for the friendly "aggression" that happens among
revelers. They are harmless, save for the ubiquitous laughing and grinning they
give to the festival!
During this time, streets are packed with ornaments and festive
illuminations, snacks stalls, outside dances, and amusements. Everything, so
that people celebrate a popular São João, a reveler of joy and gatherings.
With regard to gastronomy, during the night of São João folks usually eat
green broth with bread, lamb or grilled sardines, pepper salad and, for the
dessert, custard. On the morning of the 23rd of June, people drink cafe latte
and eat bread with butter. The idea of certainty about the origins of this
tradition isn't anything else than a mirage. Some say that the use of lamb or
goat is due to this animal's presence in the images of São João, an allusion to
God's lamb. As for the sardines, they may have been added for being cheaper and
plentiful by this time of the year.
Despite the fact that the holiday falls in the 24th of June, and as in
previous years, the festival invades the city, kick started during the month of
May, its initiation taking place on the 23rd of the same month.
Furthermore in May, the Serralves em Festa is a cultural event you can't
lose. Music festivals are also in the schedule, with NOS Primavera Sound, which
takes place from the 4th to the 6th of June, chiefly featured amid a younger
public. The Caixa Ribeira Festival, between the 12th and 13th of June, brings
to Porto the most renowned names of Fado, in the unique scenery of Ribeira do
Porto. Music continues with the Concertos da Avenida, staring names such as Rui
Veloso, D.A.M.A, Deolinda, among others.
The pinnacle will be, however, the night of the 23rd of June. At midnight
there's a firework show, the fireworks of São João, one of the reasons why
people are in the streets. Everyone follows towards Ribeira, joining thousands
of people on both sides of the Douro river. In the festivals' program there's
still enough time for competition, present in the traditional Regata dos Barcos
Rabelos, on the 24th of June, from Douro's mouth to the D. Luís I bridge.
The festivals are over by the 4th of July, with the "rusgas" and
São João's great fair.
If you are coming to Porto between May and July, be sure to make the best
of the Santos Populares, especially the 23rd of June night. Get to know the
folks of Porto and live an unforgettable night. Find out the best places to
stay at Porto and contact us so that we can help you make the perfect plan to
celebrate São João at Porto.
In Lisbon, people from every neighbourhood parade down Avenida da Liberdade, filling this major road with colourful characters in costume, folk music, and throngs of spectators. But the crowds and liveliness also fill the narrow back streets, particularly in Alfama, but also Graça, Bica, Mouraria and Madragoa. In the mediaeval squares and alleyways, people eat cabbage soup and grilled sardines, singing and dancing the whole night long. Another highlight is the procession of St. Anthony, which leaves on the 13th from the church of S. António in Alfama, near the Cathedral, where the saint was born in around 1193.
