Feast of St John the Baptist/Festa San Juan.

My son,Stevie lights the candles inconjuction with the St.John Festival..Mia filo,Stevie,sandei candia para Festa San Juan.

Even my youngest son,Sheldon does not want to be left out in the feastival. Mia filo keninu,Sheldon juntadu kere sandei candia para Festa San Juan.

Houses beautifully lit. Better than the Christmas lightings.Tudu casa sadei cadia,mas bonitu de Natal.

The Feast of St John the Baptist is a feast of lights.It is celebrated on the 23rd June,every year. In each house and home in the Portuguese Settlement and Praya lane,rows of candles are lit around the houses making the  whole neighborhood a wonder land of lights,and glow in the brightness.This is the eve of the feast of St John the Baptist. This traditional festival has been celebrated by the Malaysian Portuguese for the past 500 years..Over the past decade or so,it has been over shadowed by the Feast Of Sts.Peter and Paul,better known as Festa San Pedro.It is usually a 3 day carnival with food fair and Portuguese cultural dance and music. It is a special day for the children. As a tradition, for every one both young and old to be dressed in green on that day.The colour green symbolizes purity and innocence. While candles are here in Malacca,in Portugal,however,bonfires are lit in village squares and at road junctions. Legend has it that St. John,was supposed to have lit bonfires when he went from village to village.It is also said that St John the Baptist was known as the 'matchmaker' and so unmarried maidens in Portugal considered the festival as an auspicious one.


Cada anu,23 de Juno,tudu casa na Bairo  Portugues de Malaca juntadu cum jendi di alabanda,na Kabesa de Praya,logo sande candei candia para Festa San Juan. Keriansa juntadu cum jenti idadi logo bisti bedri. Nos logo kuze kanji munggu. Naki nos sandei candia,na Portugal jenti logo sandei fogo grandi. Jenti idadi fala,undi San Juan bai eli logo sandei fogo grandi ali kausu nos sansei candia.

The high light of St.John's

Feast is the holy Mass.

Festa de San Juan, sempre

nos bai missa maszianti.

The priest blesses the candles,

Which will then be distributed

Among the families in the settlement.

Padri bensua candia. Isti candia

Para tudu casa na bairu.

Young boys from the settlement with the

Torches. 

Filo de nos sa Bairo com damar.

Fathers lights the torches

Using the fire from 

The Pascal candle.

Which will then be distributed 

To the families in the Settlement .

Padri sandei damar com fogu

De Pascoa. Com isti fogu, eli 

Tudu logo bai sandei casa de

Casa na bairu.

Villagers then lights up the candles

Around their houses with the blessed candle.

Tudu jenti da bairu,bai casa sandei

Candia.