Boi Bumba
Deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle lies a city of 100,000 people all dancing to the one rhythm. 2 teams compete and divide the island of Parintins in 2 different colours. 40,00 non-islanders each with a chosen Boi to follow. The next 3 nights are pure carnival on a fantasy island. The music on the island is so loud it creates waves out to sea.
When 28-30th June 2007 – check online as I couldn’t find a definitive answer Where The Amazonian island of Parintins. 370kms East from Amazonas state capital Where to Eat Brasilian Food in general is great. Black beans, rice, fries & chicken. Airports There is a domestic airport in Parintins. The next nearest is in Manaus. Getting around Boi Bumba, It's Brasil, it's sunny, it's a sunny Brasilian Carnival : Walk it Getting There There are many Brasilian tour companies operating from the mainland 
The story Bumba means hit and boi means bull in Portuguese. Boi, was a really happy Ox. This Ox was was loved by the entire village. One day Pai Francisco killed the Ox for his wife Mae Catrina who couldn’t get enough Ox tongue. The village turned on the couple. More constructive villagers try to resuscitate the animal. Suddenly the Ox springs to life. All is forgiven and a carnival atmosphere ensues.
As expected, Monteverde made an imitation wooden Boi Garantido and paraded it arounded Parintin. Eventually people realised that he would not stop – so they joined in! These were the original Boi Bumba or Bumba Meu Boi - hit my bull. After a bout of ill health Brasilian carnival creator Montverede promised to John the Baptist he would bring Boi-bumba to the streets every year. Boi Garantido was born. Bearing a heart as it’s colours. The Cid brothers created the Caprichoso, made promises to St. John the Baptist and used a blue star as their colours. Each year these Brazilian rivals partake in a 3-day dance off and a test of the tongues. Bumba meu Boi also has a slagging match. But having had some of the slurs translated I can say they sould stick to the dancing. Houses in Parintin are painted in the colour of their team. Red or blue and hearts and stars are regular features on houses. Who Boi Caprichoso and Boi Garantido, each team numbers about 4000 members. Like any Brasilian Carnival, audience participation is key.
Dance Off The competition lasts for 3 nights. Each team gets 1 chance per day to tell the story of Boi, how he was killed and resurrected. Teams use allegories, costumes, giant puppets, musical instruments (mostly drums) and of course dance. Each night a jury of 12 deliberates and must award a score greater then 7 but less then 10. Strange system I would make it a max of 4 and a minimum of 1 ! Ok but fractions are allowed and can decide the Boi’s fate. Boi Bumba jury members are looking for 5 requirements - Beauty, sympathy, creativity, originality and charisma. There is also criteria to be met with regard to the components of each team-
• Singers • Dancers • Artwork • Shaman rituals • The owner of the farm and his daughter! • A presented Amazonian symbol • Allegory • The magnitude of each Boi’s followers cheering An eerie silence becomes the non-performing Boi and their supporters. This will be observed for the entirety of each performance. Rules You can only use the other Boi’s colour in it’s natural form. Quite obvious really.
What to wear Imitation animal, sexy bikinis, shorts, and runners so you don’t slip whilst dancing. Boi Bumba, due to its location is all about animal impersonation & (of course)story telling through dance ! DONT MISS THIS 15,000 people copying their Boi entering the Bumbodromo. The dance off, find a good seat early in the Bumbodromo, it seats 30,000. This Brasilian carnival beats the pants off the Samba schools in Rio. Also see the Colonial built Amazon Theatre, which is a gold domed opera house built in If you have time I would recommend being around the island in the days before the Dangers/annoyances Pickpockets. Only bring what you need in a zip pocket. Don’t wear The Gay scene Boi Bumba is a Brazilian carnival, if you look for it you will find it. Internet Only recently introduced to Parintins so don’t rely on it. It is in a community Bank/ATM I didn’t look for one there, take a few hundred with you it’s not something you want to look for. Weather Parintin has a Tropical climate– rainy and hot with highs of 32 lows of 22 degrees. Boi Bumba is one of the best times of year to visit. Festival Pig Fact ! Parintins population is 109,150 with an area of 5952kms. Parintins is regarded as the most isolated city in the world.
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