traditional quadrilhas caipiras parade throughout the carnival to the delight of all - the fogo of festa junina is lit for the chilly winter nights, but there is a deeper meaning behind the tradition, seeing as the fire dates back to pagan times when it was a symbol of rebirth during the summer or winter solstice.

as christianity become more popular on the european continent, the church decided to mark the birth of saint john the baptist at the same time of the summer solstice - as the tradition moved to south america and brazil, it became prevalent as a symbol of the changing of season to winter without losing its initial historical roots.