More about the Boi Bumba Festival

HOW TO GET THERE

The Folkloric Festival of Parintins, called Boi Bumbá, starts on the 28th of June every year, and lasts for 3 nights. It takes place in the town of Parintins (population of 80,000), situated on an island in the Amazon river, 420 km to the east of Manaus, near the border between the states of Amazonas, and Pará, in Brazil. Parintins is easily accessible from Manaus, either by plane (an hour flight from Manaus, planes leave from the regional airport which is right next to the international airport), or by boat (a 20 to 30 hours trip on the Amazon river, the duration depends on the type of boat and the direction of the current, regularly scheduled boats leave from the port of Manaus, but there are plenty of charter boats for this particular event). Sleeping arrangements vary - there are a few hotels in town; most houses turn into Bed & Breakfasts during the festival; or, some package deals provide travel and accommodation on a luxury boat with private cabins. As the Boi Bumbá is very popular locally, all reservations for travel, accommodation, and Festival tickets should be done a couple of months in advance. Most travel agencies in Manaus sell package deals for this major local event.

THE FESTIVAL

The Boi Bumbá is a thrilling, energizing, unforgettable experience. It is all at once a sumptuously staged musical, a religious procession, a tribal ritual, a giant puppet show, a fairy tale with powerful villains and brave heroes, and a huge party for the audience. Even though both teams tell the same story every night, so you get to see it 6 times, every evening is different. The legends, rituals, and tribal dances are different every evening, and so are the costumes and giant floats. There are a lot of Festivals in this part of Brazil, but the one of Parintins is by far the biggest and the most spectacular. It is both a show and a contest. There are two competing teams - the Boi Garantido and the Boi Caprichoso. Boi means Ox in Portuguese; the Ox is the central character in the story that is acted out every night. The stage for the festival is an arena that can accommodate 35,000 spectators. The festival starts at 9:00 PM; both teams perform every evening; each Ox team has three hours for its performance, so the evening ends at 3 or 4 AM. If you are still up for it after the end of the show, you can join the locals in having a drink or showing off your dance skills at the countless open-air bars and cafes around the stadium. The festival is based on a tale that was brought to Parintins by migrants from the south who came to this region to seek their fortune during the rubber extraction boom in the early 1900s. In the original story, Francisco, a farm hand, kills the best ox in his master’s farm to please his pregnant wife Catrina who has a craving for ox tongue. A priest and a doctor help resuscitate the ox and bring Francisco to justice. The story has a happy ending - the ox lives, and Francisco is forgiven. The festival of Parintins started on a modest scale in 1913. In those days, it was simply a street procession. Over time, the festival, the story, and the characters have changed to incorporate local Indian legends, rituals, music, and dances. The festival also celebrates the traditional lifestyle of the Caboclo - the present day Amazonian.

THE CONTEST

The festival is also a contest, and the winner is picked by a jury that evaluates the performance of each team in 22 categories such as: presentation of the Ox, presentation of the Indian tribes, presentation of the Indian chiefs, presentation of the shaman ritual, best music, best floats, best choreography, etc. One of the most fascinating aspects of the festival is the participation of the audience. Crowd support is one of the categories judged in the contest, so every Ox team has special staff that orchestrates the cheering. The stadium is divided in two equal parts, and Caprichoso and Garantido fans stick to their “territory”. During their favorite Ox’s performance, people cheer, dance, and wave flags and candles. The energy escalates with each new character’s appearance on the arena. But you never, ever, cheer for the other team - if you do, you are contributing to their victory. The contest is taken very seriously here, people are very passionate about their Ox. Everyone in Parintins roots for either the Caprichoso or Garantido, there is no middle ground.

On the morning of the fourth day, the winner is announced, and an improvised street parade of the winner team and their fans follows. This is a very emotional moment for both sides, and the occasional dispute or even fight between hotheaded fans can erupt, but the military police is very alert and enforces order very efficiently.