Fest­iv­al Sao Joao Da Vila (Saint John The Apostle)

The Saint John the Apostle Fest­iv­al takes place in Vila Franca do Campo. It is a won­der­fully col­or­ful and happy cel­eb­ra­tion, where every­body takes part in the dan­cing and singing.

The cel­eb­ra­tion dates back to the 14^th cen­tury, and it has been ori­gin­ally a pagan ritu­al: people cel­eb­rated the plen­ti­ful har­vest and wor­shipped the Sun God. The cel­eb­ra­tion was even­tu­ally turned into a Cath­ol­ic feast, and was named after Saint John.

Dur­ing the times it was still a pagan ritu­al – to cel­eb­rate fer­til­ity – people used to hang a leek on the wall of their house to bring good luck. Herbs – which were thought to bring health and good luck – were also essen­tial parts of the festival.

These days the fest­iv­al of Saint John is cel­eb­rated on sev­er­al islands of the Azores, and also in sev­er­al cit­ies across con­tin­ent­al Por­tugal. On Sao Miguel there is a pro­ces­sion in Vila Franca do Campo where all cit­ies of the island are rep­res­en­ted by dance groups and sing­ers. It is a very col­or­ful and happy fest­iv­al, def­in­itely worth a vis­it if you are on Sao Miguel dur­ing this week.