Festa Junina: Traditional party has French origin!

Manaus (AM) – The month of June has arrived and, with it, delicious food and traditional June songs, which play a fundamental role in the typical festivals that take place during this period. In Brazil, the festivities arrived with the colonization of the territory by the Portuguese between the 16th and 19th centuries. Traditionally called ‘joaninas’, due to the day of Saint John the Baptist, the feast of Saint John is celebrated this Saturday, June 24th.

Researcher and historian Daniel Salles told the In time, the origin of the heart-warming rhythm variations that are so popular.

“The junina square dance that we know has its origins in the French dances called “quadrille”, in the 18th century, which in turn came from an English dance where it is called “campesine” and arrived in Brazil through the Portuguese during colonization” , explained

In addition to the square dance, the ribbon dance, the vanerão, which is present in the south of the country as a dance of German origin, and the ciranda are also traditional dances. In the north of the country there are several dances, not all of them known by the general public, among which we can mention the desfeiteira, marambiré, lundu marajoara, marujada, carimbó, retumbão, jacundá and cangaço.

Most of these dances have African origins mixed with indigenous and European rhythms, without losing the essence of the country of origin. Dance teacher and producer, Jessica Moça, who has been working as a choreographer and essayist in the Junino world for five years and who this year aims to bring her square dances to number one in Manaus and the countryside.

“I am eternally in love with the Junino world, I have always identified myself a lot with folk dances, especially the Junino square dances. That is why, in 2018, the idea arose to take the technique of ballet, jazz, contemporary mixing with the dance experience of each gang, thus raising the level of the gangs in Amazonas, in 2019 and 2020 we managed to take our students from first to third place in the contest of the Independent League of Folkloric Groups of Manaus (Ligfm). The goal this year is not to lower the level and bring the first place to the gangs that I am working in Manaus and inland”, he said.

The main musical genres present in the June festivities are forró, baião, xote and drag-pé. These songs are marked by the use of typical instruments, such as the accordion, the triangle, the zabumba and the viola caipira. The lively rhythms and lyrics that address rural everyday themes such as love, parties, dating and marriage make these songs captivating and engaging.

The singer of ‘Rastapé’, Lucélia Souza, already completes 35 years of career, singing in many events in this period of the year and says that it is one of her favorite times of the year because it is also the month of her birthday.

“At this time of year, the schedule is always full. We prepare and add special songs to our repertoire and always rehearse to make it more danceable and please our audience”, he declared.

Xote is another musical genre known as the afmoso ‘two here, two there’, of strictly European origin, coming mainly from Germany, a mixture of Viennese waltz steps and Czech polka. The rhythm was made with the butts of rifles hitting the ground, and without the use of musical instruments.

The xaxado, on the other hand, was created within the northeastern cangaço, due to the sound of leather espadrilled sandals dragging on the ground when the couples dance. The xaxado has lateral movements, with the feet dragging and the body glued, decades after the end of the cangaceiros there was the participation of women.

Dance teacher Cilícia Santos declared that during this period, rhythms such as Piseiro and Forró, along with traditional June music, became very popular among the people of Amazonas. Cilícia is part of the ‘Saúde em dia’ project, held in some parts of the city, where dance ‘lessons’ are offered to the public open during this period.

“In this period of the June festival, songs like Piseiro and Forró are more requested, along with the June songs. Apart from the Carnival period, these are the months when they are most excited in class”, he said.

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