The Amazon spectacle of the bois-bumbás: Parintins Festival

The Parintins Festival is a celebration that is inspired by Amazonian culture to create a spectacle of colors, myths, and emotion. Bois-bumbás, Amazonian indigenous legends and an explosion of creativity come together to create an unparalleled spectacle.

The Parintins Festival has origins that date back to the religious and folkloric festivals of the Amazon region. The legend of the boi-bumbá is the backdrop to the festival. It tells the story of an ox that is killed, revives, and enchants everyone with its joy. This narrativeis inspired by a rivalry that began almost a hundred years ago, when two large groups – the “bois” – began to represent on the streets of Parintins the folklore of the boi-bumbá, a variation of the bumba-meu-boi from Maranhão, which in Amazonas won Personal characteristics.

This gave life to an annual competition that involves the local community in a theatrical show that mixes dance, music, and a lot of emotion, with defining characteristics of Brazilian indigenous culture. The Garantido, represented by the red and white colors, and the Caprichoso, with its blue and white colors, are the two bumbás that compete in the festival. Caprichoso has a star as its symbol and the rhythmic group is called Marujada de Guerra. Garantido’s symbol is a heart using a rhythm called Batucada. Each one tells an Amazonian story through their parades and presentations.

The festival takes place at Bumbódromo, a place specially built for the event and with capacity for around 25 thousand people. The arena is divided in half and on the days of the presentation, the crowd (called “galera”) remains completely silent when the opposing bull presents itself. The Caprichoso and Garantido oxen perform on all three nights of the event and the order is defined by draw. Each presentation lasts a maximum of 2h30. The oxen are evaluated each night by a commission made up of nine jurors, who are selected from several states in Brazil.

The Marujada and the choice of Cunhã-Poranga are events that precede the festival. Marujada is a festival that celebrates local folklore and culture, while Cunhã-Poranga is the choosing of the festival´s queen.