In ancient agrarian societies, fertility rituals were practiced in all seasons, associated with various superstitions. Many of these pagan rituals were absorbed by Christianity and, despite being attributed a religious significance, they remain in essence.

This is the case of the floral rituals practiced at the party in honor of one of the “popular saints”, S. João, celebrated from 23 to 24 June, a month that corresponds to a transition period between Spring and Summer and the agricultural cycle flowering and ripening of agricultural crops.

On those days the interior of the church is decorated with flowers of the time and in the churchyard and surrounding streets the decorations of the triumphal arches and flagpoles are made with plants, namely the laurel, the myrtle, the boxwood and the broom.

This custom seems to have its origin in a Roman pagan ritual, since Ceres, goddess of agriculture, also offered laurel, myrtle, and rosemary, during the harvest festivals, as symbols of fertility, fecundity and immortality.

The people also believe that the holy herbs (sugar cane, myrtle, palm, boxwood, laurel and rosemary), harvested at dawn in São João, before the sun rises, have medicinal virtues and chase away evil spirits, serving as protection for the “evil eye”(envy) and other “evils”. For this reason they use them to decorate the interior or exterior of their homes (windows, doors and balconies).

To “bless” the water, the fountains are decorated, a ritual that remains alive, the people believing that water that night has special virtues.

Small altars are also made in honor of the saint, in the alleys and backyards of the houses, decorated with holy plants and flowers of the time. According to oral tradition, this custom has its origin in the superstition that, on that day, S. João “goes down to Earth for a walk”, so it is necessary to receive it in a honorable way.

Credits: Museu Etnográfico da Madeira