Today, I’m in Parintins, Brazil. The city has no roads or highways to it from
the rainforest of the Amazon. Yet, it
becomes a big city once each year during the Boi Bumba Festival. I believe the festival occurs in late June/early
July, and there’s a battle between the blue and red teams.
Our purpose for being here today is to see a “mini” Boi
Bumba show put on for the passengers on our ship. The ship uses local tender boats which can
disembark large numbers of folks at one time.
I’m delaying my trip to the city because it’s HOT! I will head ashore around 10am in order to
see the show at 11:30.
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| These local boats will serve as our tenders to Parintins. |
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| I believe the large building with the clock tower is the convention center. The stadium for the festival is behind it. |
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| Local folks are arriving this morning in Parintins. Note the hammocks... I bet it isn't that comfortable after a few hours. |
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| A view of the local church. |
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| You can see the "blue-side" stands above. The other team, the red, are on the other side of the stadium. |
From Wikipedia:
Parintins Folklore Festival (Festival Folclórico de Parintins) is a popular
annual celebration held in the Brazilian city of Parintins, Amazonas. It is one of the largest the annual
festival in Brazil;[1] only
the Carnivalfestivities in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador draw
more participants.
Often called Festival do Boi-Bumbá, Bumba Meu Boi,
or simply Festival, the event takes place during three days in late
June. The festival celebrates a local legend about
a resurrected ox. It is also a competition where two teams, Garantido and Caprichoso, compete
in extended retellings of the story, each team attempting to outdo the other
with flamboyant dances, singing, and parade floats.
Each team has to complete its show within two and a half hours. A team that
does not follow this time limit is subjected to points penalties. Each nightly
performance is largely based on local Amazonian folklore and indigenous culture, but also incorporates
contemporary Brazilian rhythms and themes.[2][3] The
place where the teams present themselves is called "Bumbódromo", a
round, grounded stage. The "Bumbódromo" supports 35.000 people in the
audience.[4]
