TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Brazilians keep Festa Junina traditions alive in Jakarta

Religious tradition: A priest hands out bread rolls to believers at the end of a mass for Santo Antonio (St

Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, June 19, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Brazilians keep Festa Junina traditions alive in Jakarta

R

span class="inline inline-center">Religious tradition: A priest hands out bread rolls to believers at the end of a mass for Santo Antonio (St. Antony) day at the Santo Antonio Convent and Church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday.(AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)

Having spent most of his career living thousands of miles away from home, almost every year Brazilian Hugo Lorenzetti Netto celebrates Festa Junina (June Festival) in a different environment, and this year is no different.

With no bonfires or dances on the streets to mark the festive season and only the company of fellow Brazilians and friends of other nationalities, he decided to bring parts of Festa Junina to Jakarta. On the third Saturday of June, he attached brightly colored flags and a picture of St. John to the ceiling of his house while playing traditional Brazilian music in his living room.

Festa Junina consists of Catholic traditions celebrating four saints: St. Anthony on June 13, St. John on June 24 and St. Peter and St. Paul on June 29. Despite being rooted in religious events, in Brazil they are marked with various celebrations throughout the entire month.

The festival is also known for the traditional quadrilha dance in which people dressed like farmers dance to Festa Junina songs. In Brazil, a country with a population of more than 200 million people, June is a special month as it also celebrates Dia dos Namorados, its version of Valentine’s Day, on June 12.

“In Brazil, June is the month of festivities before we continue with our normal lives in July,” Hugo said, chuckling.

However, the Embassy of Brazil’s head of Cultural, Education and Press Relations estimated there were only around 100 Brazilians living in Indonesia.

The house in South Jakarta used as a venue for the celebration, he explained, for one night was home to a melting pot of cultures, with various nationalities filling the guest list.

At 7 p.m., guests flock to the house to drink and eat Brazilian food, including the popular snack coxinha (shredded chicken covered in dough) and pastel de queijo (fried pastry with cheese). Hugo, who has been known to break out his dance moves on the occasion, welcomes guests of all backgrounds.

“We love to talk with people and we’d love to open ourselves to foreigners and have a great conversation with them,” Hugo said.

Lina Sianturi, an Indonesian formerly employed by the Embassy of Brazil in Jakarta, said after living in Brazil for four years she considered friendliness and openness as traits shared by both Indonesians and Brazilians.

Lina, who learned to cook various Brazilian meals and pastries during her time in Brazil, said there were also similarities in cuisine, as both countries loved to cook dishes using coconut milk. Among well-known food she tried in Brazil was moqueca (seafood stew) and canjica (sweet porridge).

“The tropical conditions of Brazil’s northeast coast were [comparable] to Indonesia. We have a lot of things in common. That was why it was not hard for me to adjust,” she said.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.