Folklore Festival of Parintins

For several days during the month of June, the city of Parintins, in the state of Amazonas, hosts the main folklore festival of the north of Brazil. The festival is characterised by a fusion of regional folklore. Mystical characters come to life in allegorical performances and legends from the Amazon, such as the bumba-meu-boi ("Bang! My ox", dramatic performance involving two characters dressed as oxen). One of the highlights of the Parintins Festival is the fight between two of these oxen, called Garantido (Guaranteed) and Caprichoso (Capricious).

Bumba-meu-boi is a dramatic representation of life, which tells the story of the death and resurrection of an ox. The origin of this narrative dance dates back to the 18th century, in the sugar-mills and cattle farms of the Northeast Region of Brazil. In Parintins, the two oxen Garantido and Caprichoso appear clad in different colors - the first one in red and the second in blue -, each with their own fervent supporters in the audience, who anxiously awaits the outcome of the dispute for the title of best "boi-bumbá".