Flickers of flame dance in the sky. Lanterns, stars, and fireworks bring day into the night. What a beautiful view of Porto’s São João festival.
It wasn’t until that day in late June, wandering around Porto’s narrow cobblestone streets with colorful buildings stacked on top of each other like Lego sets, that I heard about the famed São João festival. Combining pagan traditions with the celebration of Saint John the Baptist, São João revolves around sardines, floating lanterns, and little plastic and rubber hammers used to playfully hit strangers on the head. It’s the childlike joy of an ambiguous, city-wide party that brings the residents and visitors of Porto together into one family.
How incredibly fortunate to stumble upon such a day.
