Sao Joao

Sao Joao
Porto
June 2009

I hit over 3000 people on the head with a hammer during the Festa de Sao Joao in Porto on Tuesday night. I don’t know that I have ever had so much fun! Since I have known Duarte, he has told me about this festival and he has always been disappointed that we have scheduled our flights to leave Portugal a couple of days before this celebration. This year we timed everything right and enjoyed an incredible night of laughter, celebration, friendship, drinks and discovery.

I know little about who Sao Joao (Saint John) was and why he is so celebrated but I do know that the summer months are a time when Portuguese celebrate their local saints. Each village or city has a saint that protects their region. Sao Joao apparently is the saint protecting Porto. The celebration is historic and part of the celebration involves tapping people on the head with a long garlic flower. Since thousands travel to Porto for this celebration, the flowers have evolved into plastic hammers with accordion ends that squeak when tapped. Therefore there are thousands of people celebrating in the streets of Porto tapping each other on the head with hammers. There are sardines being roasted on small grills throughout all of the streets so the air smells like sardines. The night was alive with squeaks and laughter and eating and drinking.

Our celebration began at Duarte’s uncle’s house in Porto. Lisa and Alex (friends we met in State College who now live in Madrid) and their kids joined us. We had a magnificent dinner and drinks in the garden while the kids ran around after each other. Then we left at 11:00pm to join the party. Ceu stayed at the house and watched the kids.

We took the metro to the Ribiera area of Porto where the heart of the party takes place. We purchased our hammers and of we went to tap people on the heads. I could not have guessed how much fun it would be to do this. I laughed as hard as I have ever laughed. It was totally fine to tap people on the head AND it was what you are supposed to do. Oh, I loved the endearing expressions on the many faces I tapped. It felt so friendly. It felt like I made so many people smile and there was an intimate connection with everyone there.

We converged on the Ribiera where we somehow made it front row to the
“Brittany Spears of Portugal.” We danced and laughed and of course tapped people on the head. Soon after, an amazing spectacle of fireworks took place over the river. It was a fantastic show. We walked up through the old, twisting streets of Porto after the fireworks and found a small bar tucked in among the little houses. We drank caiperinhas and settled in for a while not even thinking about the hour. Duarte hung out outside with the local men grilling sardines and Lisa and I caught up – enjoying such a night out.

Before we knew it, it was 3:00a.m. and we still had a way to travel before we were home. We passed through the crowds celebrating and lifting paper hot air balloons into the air. We laughed and danced and continued to tap people on the head. At 4:00 a.m. we were finally in bed still giggling from the night. It was a night to remember and certainly it could not be easily have been forgotten as our children were up at 7:00 a.m. ready to play the very same morning.

A Festa de Sao Joao fui muito bom! Eu quiero ir otra vez.