patron saint of fisherman, the festa de são pedro is marked by celebrations on the beaches of itaipú, pedra guaratiba and lagoa de freitas as well as a procession of boats across guaranabara bay.    

unlike the wall of samba sound from february's carnival, the festas juninas are soundtracked by forró, the accordion-led folk music that has as much in common with polka as bossa nova.

the festa da penha is another example of how cariocas have made european religious traditions their own, and indeed, how those celebrations have changed the landscape of the city of rio de janeiro itself.