Festas Juninas
The feast of São João Baptista, celebrated on the 24th of June and included in the Festas Juninas, is one of the main popular festivals on the islands of Barlavento – Santo Antão, S. Vicente and S. Nicolau – and in Brava. In the barlavento islands, the party has the same characteristics. At Brava, the party already has distinctive and original characteristics.
The feasts of S. João are a kind of pilgrimage where there is a little bit of everything: Religious Celebrations where the Mass on the 24th is highlighted, preceded by the prayer of vespers on the 23rd. It is also a rich cultural manifestation, where the Kolá stands out for the coladeiras accompanied by the beating of the drums that give it a peculiar melody and where there is usually no lack of horse dancing, a particular activity of S. João Na Brava. There are three days in which the culture of the Island manifests itself.