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On the night of 23 to 24 June, the people of Porto do not sleep. On foot, through the streets of the city with hammers, leeks and a lot of joy, the people of Porto walk through the streets of the Invicta. This popular festival, celebrated in Porto, remembers St. John the Baptist,
There are two main reasons for the choice of the date: one is Catholic, the other pagan.
On June 24th the nativity, or birth, of John the Baptist is celebrated. A birth which, like that of Jesus Christ, is also the result of a miracle. As we read in St Luke's Gospel, the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were childless because Elizabeth was barren. In her old age, Elizabeth received a visit from the Angel Gabriel, who announced that she would conceive a baby named John. Six months later, her cousin Mary visited her to tell her about the same miracle. The cousin we are referring to is the Virgin Mary and the baby she would give birth to, also because of the Angel Gabriel's announcement, would be called Jesus.
But the feast was initially pagan. 24 June coincides with the summer solstice (the day with the most hours of sunlight in the year). It was a time to celebrate nature, the harvests and show worship to the sun god. Later, the Catholic Church Christianized the festival, which some records show has existed in Porto since the 14th century.
Some small, others bigger, it is obligatory to have one at the feasts of S. João. The plastic hammers that people take on the night of São João to hit strangers on the head are the trademark of the Porto festival. The plastic hammers were invented in 1963 by Manuel Boaventura, an industrialist from Porto. The idea was to create another toy for the business but, that year, Manuel decided to offer several blue and white hammers to students during the Queima das Fitas week in May. The fashion caught on and, after a month, the hammers were already on the streets on the night of São João. Until our days.
Another tradition of the night of S. João is to jump over the bonfire. These are part of the ancient pagan tradition of celebrating the summer solstice with one of nature's elements, fire. Some more believers believe that the bonfire originates from an agreement made by the cousins Mary and Elizabeth. Pregnant with John the Baptist, Elizabeth was to build a bonfire on top of the hill to warn that her son was about to be born.
Hot air balloons made of paper fill the skies on the night of Saint John and are also intrinsically linked to the tradition of fire.
The famous cascades, meanwhile, had their beginnings in the 19th century. Various artists and popular artists compete to see which is the most beautiful waterfall of S. João.
There are many reasons to participate in this unique festival and get to know the city of Porto through a different perspective.
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