São João de Braga is the oldest São João festival in Portugal.
Born in 1150, the date on which a church dedicated to São João was founded in the city of Braga, it was throughout the 16th century that the festivities established themselves as one of the festivals of São João that involved the most people, especially in terms of spectators.
With activities where the profane merged with the religious, the Corrida do Porco Preto became one of the most important moments in the São João calendar in Braga, which was joined, in the 18th century, by masquerades and biblical dances.
Consolidated in history as the oldest São João celebration in Portugal, Braga lived, in the mid-19th century, two important and simultaneously coinciding pilgrimages: São João da Ponte and São João do Souto.
Increasingly attractive for the community of Braga, but also for outsiders, it is at the end of the 19th century that the city takes an important step towards the union of the two São João festivities, passing, in 1983, to be designated a festivities commission in charge of perpetuate the festivities of São João de Braga.
The festivals of São João de Braga ended up being confirmed as the biggest festivals in the city of Braga, thanks to the involvement of the City Council and the Commercial Association of the city, seeing the number of events, institutions, people involved and spectators increase year-on-year after year.
Source: São JoãoBraga
