June Festival

 “At our festival, no sadness could withstand such joy”

be.Living’s June Party is just around the corner! Bringing back—with proper safety measures—the joy of having this event back on school grounds, an event which has always been so special for our community.

Inspired by this year’s lyrics from the samba school Unidos do Viradouro, the theme of our festivity will be: “At our festival, no sadness could withstand such joy!”

After two years of social isolation (during which we had to put our much-loved June Festival on hold and come up with alternative and meaningful ways to celebrate it among the children), this family event makes a return to our school. It is an opportunity to reflect on what can be learned from the contrast between sadness and joy, loneliness with togetherness. The pandemic has really opened our minds to new ways of thinking, one of which is most definitely to value being together!

It is with joy then, that we announce that be.Living’s June Festival will take place on June 25 for the kindergarten and elementary school children, as well as their families. This will be an occasion to have fun and celebrate life. It will also be an opportunity to celebrate Brazilian culture. As is common knowledge, a trademark of our June Festival is to pay tribute to an artist or a movement in popular culture. This year we will pay tribute to Joana Cavalcante.

“Joana was the first female master of the maracatu de baque virado, a secular Afro-Brazilian performance originating in Pernambuco. She will be paid tribute because of her tireless efforts and performances as a guardian of Afro-Brazilian culture,” explains Amanda Ribeiro, our music and Coisas D’Aqui teacher.

As part of their research, the children read the book Sementes de Joana by the author Mariana Queiroz, which tells Joana’s story. This woman is not only important for the preservation of Brazilian culture but also for female empowerment, since it was she who came up with the idea of a maracatu only for women.

Amanda adds that, besides doing research about Joana, the children enjoyed and experienced nation-style maracatu, learning about “. . . the procession, the royal court, the chants; which include the songs, instruments, rhythm, and dance. All this knowledge, recognizing Afro-Brazilian culture as an essential part of our identity and culture.”

The teacher also says that families participate in the decoration of the June Festival every year, decorating and passing along a communal item that will be presented on the day. “This year the families will make banners, which are widely used in many popular festivals and very characteristic of nation-style maracatu or the baque virado style. The banner always opens the parade of the maracatu nations, displaying their colors, symbols, and names as well as the date of the parade.”

And so the June Festival will be a great opportunity for the children to share with their families not only what they have learned (their research, dances, and songs of the riches of our country) but also what they have organized and decorated and worked on at the stands. It will be an enjoyable sharing experience that embraces multiple areas of knowledge! What a joy to be together again!

be.Living’s June Festival
June 25
9:00 am to 3:30 pm
As a safety measure, the Festival will only be open to the parents and siblings of the children.

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