The Heele Stone

The cancioneiro (song-collection) of São João (St John) is one of the richest manifestations of Portuguese popular culture. In this article, we review the principal bibliography—song collections and studies—devoted to the saint in popular (both traditional and non-traditional) or pseudo-popular song. We examine the symbolic and ethnographic importance of São João in the collective imagery, taking into account the relationship between literary representation and the anthropological and cultural aspects of this festivity.