The annual Arraial de São João (St. John’s Festival) festivity continued yesterday at the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre – Outdoor Plaza, drawing in celebrants and passersby with a colourful venue and upbeat music, along with various delicacies and crafts on sale.
The free-admission festival, held annually in June and also known as Feast of Saint John, kicked off on Saturday, having been open from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. throughout its two-day run.
Several booths were set up at the venue, among which were those run by Casa de Portugal em Macau (“Portugal’s Home in Macau”), the International Institute of Macau (IIM) and Associação dos Jovens Macaenses (AJM – Macanese Youth Association).
Items on sale included everything from crafts such as those made out of pottery and knitted items, jewellery, and books, while there were games and photo spots as well. Festivalgoers also had a chance to sample a variety of both sweet and savoury snacks and other culinary delights, among which were the popular Portuguese snack bolinhos de bacalhau (“codfish balls”) and a variety of desserts and pastries such as pudim de ovos (“egg pudding”) and egg tarts, as well as beverages like Ginjinha*.
Meanwhile, the event also saw performances by local singers and musicians.
Included in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macau since 2020, the annual event is one of the traditional festivals and celebrations of the local Portuguese and Macanese communities. It commemorates Portugal’s victory against the Dutch in Macau on June 24, 1622, with the military triumph considered as a blessing from Saint John. It had previously taken place at Bairro de São Lázaro (望德堂坊) since 2007.
* Ginjinha is a traditional Portuguese liqueur made from sour cherries (ginjas) and alcohol, usually aguardente (a type of Portuguese brandy). It is often flavoured with sugar and spices, and served in small glasses, sometimes with a piece of the fruit in the glass. Ginjinha is particularly popular in Lisbon and the town of Óbidos, where it is commonly enjoyed as a digestif. – Source: Poe
Photos taken yesterday by Rui Pastorin
