A YEAR EXPERIENCING LIFE IN PORTUGAL
The Rise and Fall of the São João Festival
In search of my next home in Portugal
Returning to Braga at São João Festival Time
When I first came to Braga a year ago, I was fleeing the Feast of St. Anthony, a month-long celebration of the patron saint of Lisbon. The festival was taking place in my Alfama neighborhood and was full of the smell of sardines on the grill and urine in the narrow streets. While it is a lively and colorful festival that I enjoyed, after coming home one too many times to find someone drunk and urinating on my doorstep, I needed a break.
For the week in Braga, I rented an apartment in the center, conveniently located near shops, restaurants and grocery stores. When I checked in, my host cheerfully told me that today was the beginning of a week-long festival celebrating St. John (São João). She could barely contain her excitement as she shared the happy news that I was fortunate to arrive in time for the big party that night, an epic event that would keep people celebrating in the streets below my window until dawn.
I wanted to hurl this perky woman out of the lovely French doors onto the soon-to-be chaotic streets below. I had come here seeking peace and landed smack dab in…
