Weekend Retreat and São João

This past weekend was spent at a youth camp hosted at a ranch out in the countryside. Here “youth” ranges from 13 to 35, so it was a great time for “young people” of all ages! The topic was “faith and reason” and the sessions were great Portuguese practice for Kasey and I. The weekend was also great time to get to know the young people from Sao Lourenco as well as meet others from churches in other cities.

The camp also fell on the weekend of one of the most extensively celebrated holidays here in the northeast, the celebration of Saint John or São João. With origins as a catholic holiday, it has grown into a celebration of the “matuto,” the people who live in the interior of the country and are not up with the times . . . If we were speaking in American terms the closest word would probably be a hillbilly! To celebrate people dress up in “matuto” fashion. For girls it’s bright, ruffled, and beribboned dresses with hair in braids. For guys it’s plaid shirts with straw hats and drawn on moustaches or beards.

São João decorations of colored flags and paper lanterns 

For our celebration there was:

a huge bonfire to dance around and roast ears of corn (yummy!).  

the bonfire . . . all ready for the big night!

lots of other tasty foods, all made from corn including Canjica, Pamonha and Bolo de Milho 

(follow the link for info and recipes :)

and finally... the holiday wouldn’t be complete without the Quadrilha and Forró... traditional northeastern dances!

our group dancing the Quadrilha

Aaaand here's a super fun Quadrilha song for your enjoyment! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj5p4gvIre8

Another wonderful part of the retreat was the location in beautiful Aldeia, a natural area of green loveliness. On Saturday, a group went for a walk on the trail down into the forested valley below. It was a gorgeous jungle hike that went on and on through the lush greenery until the trail turned a corner and you suddenly come upon a little piece of paradise.

A long winding stair leads down into a quiet and sheltered hollow, with large paving stones, a pavilion, a natural spring, and a swimming pool fed by the ice cold spring water. It was the most beautiful and mysterious place imaginable, as if it had been lost out in the jungle for a long, long, time, and we were the first to discover its existence. We had tons of fun swimming and exploring the little valley and the surrounding mata (jungle in Portuguese!).