Author Archives: joshuaef

Brazilian Festival: Festa Junina

Informant: Festa Junina is a Festival in Brazil is the celebration of St John Baptist, my informant cant remember exactly. he remembers it being a famous old guy and you celebrate the middle of Winter in Brazil. It is about coming together and eating good food!

Context: My informant remembers wearing jeans and a red flannel with a fake mustache and a straw hat to the holiday when he was younger. He mentioned that Festa Junina is a big thing in their younger schools as its mostly the parents dropping off the kids to school and they have this party called Festa Junina. All the kids dress up as farmers or lumberjacks.

Analysis: This Brazilian Holiday is pretty similar to a few holidays in American. It is a big holiday for the young kids in Brazil sort of like Halloween in the US they also dress up for the party/Holiday. Similar to the Carnival in Brazil they celebrate good times and getting through the winter and eating food with those around them.

Norwegian Viking Festival at Avaldsnes

Context: My informant remembers a viking festival that is celebrated in his hometown of Tonsberg in Norway. The name of the Festival is where it takes place in the viking village known as Avaldsnes, yearly. They would all gather around the town square as a viking holiday sometimes putting on viking costumes and eat really good food with all his friends and family around.

Context: Tonsberg was a viking trade center and had one of the biggest fortresses in Norway. Tongsbergw as established as a center of power. The place continues for hundreds of years to be rules by kings and cheftains and things like that.

Analysis: The Norwegian Viking holidays, of which there are plenty, usually consist of celebrating a battle or conquest and having a day to remember the triumphant vikings. InAvaldsnes it is more about the history of the city and how it has stood for so long that the people celebrate.

Norwegian Independence Day

Informant: Every single 17th of May, which is Norway’s independence day, Everyone dresses up in traditional outfits from way back in the day and walk in a mass downtown. Usually the large group consists of mostly kids walking down the big street dressed in tradition old Norwegian style of clothing. My informant remembers walking down the street with the people waving and cheering for them including his family on the side of the road.

Context: Similar to The many different independence days celebrated around the world, Norway doesn’t differ much. It is a day to remember their independence where everyone celebrates, and is usual, the kids get celebrated the most.

Analysis: This Norwegian Festival is similar to something like the Fourth of July here in America. We celebrate us becoming our own country and have always celebrated since. Norway celebrates every single may 17th the day they got their independence day.

Olsok Day

Informant: July 29th when Olaf the holy (olav den hellige) died in a grand battle in 1030. After he died, that is commonly referred to at least in Norway as the end of the Viking age. He had red cheeks while he was buried, this is a symbol that he was still alive as he was being buried. This is where Christianity took over.

Context: My informant learned of this information from his Parents when he was younger. When he used to live in Norway he would “celebrate” this day on July 29th. His parents instilled values and taught him using old stories of the viking age, personally to my informant he liked to celebrate this Holiday because it reminds him of his parents and their teachings, as well as his own history in Norway.

Analysis: This holiday in Norway is certainly an interesting on with some serious dichotomy. On one hand the people love their viking roots and celebrating a holiday where the viking age ended and Norway was “colonized” into Christianity might be a slippery slope. On the second hand there are certainly more religious people who treat it as a proper holiday. For some it is a day of remembrance and hold more weight than for others.