- Bois de Parintins -
The
"Bois de Parintins" is a huge folk festival that takes
place every year on the last three days of June, in a city called
Parintins, located in the Amazon, northern Brazil.
Despite
the indigenous themes - on allegorical floats, adornments and
even in the steps, which follow the rhythm of tribal dances -
present in the parade of the two main groups, "Caprichoso"
and "Garantido", the procession's general organization
is done in the moulds of the schools that parade in the "Sambódromo"
in Rio.
Because
this event has achieved tremendous popularity and growth in the
past years, people have built a place where this festival could
take place.
The
architecture of the Amazonino Mendes Cultural and Sports Center,
populary known as the "bumbódromo", inaugurated
on June 24th, 1988 by governor, Amazonino Armando Mendes, was
built in the shape of a bull's head where 50.000 people sing
and dance to the typical music of the festival.
Two
groups compete in the festival, the red group called Garantido
and the blue group called Caprichoso. People sing and dance all
day long on the streets and at night they go to the "bumbódromo"
for the performance of the "bois" Garantido and Caprichoso.
They
perform a dramatic dance called "boi-bumbá"
which is a close relative of the "bumba-meu-boi" of
northeastern Brazil and the "boi-de-mamão" of
Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. In the Amazon, it also includes
Indians and fantastic creatures from their mythology.
The
story:
A slave
woman called Catirina was pregnant, and one day she had the desire
of eating the best bull's tongue in the farm where she lived
with her husband Francisco. To satisfy his wife's cravings, he
decided to kill the bull and cut its tongue off. But the bull's
owner discoveres that Francisco had killed his bull and decides
that he must be punished. Fearing that her husband could be killed,
Catirina asks a priest to ressurect the bull and everything ends
up in a party.
During
the 70's the play was modified in order to include Amazonian
themes. The original church priest is now an Indian sorcerer,
called Pajé, and the story takes place in the forest.
Along the play, evil gods, fire, polution and ecological themes
are the real problems.
©
Parintins.com
The
typical music of the "Bois de Parintins" called "toada
de boi" (a mix of Indigenous, Brazilian and Andine rhythms),
was completely unknown outside the Amazon until recently. In
1996, the Brazilian group Carrapicho, released a CD called "Festa
do Boi Bumbá", which became a hit in Europe with
its contagious dance, then the fever also spread to Rio as well
as the rest of Brazil.
"Bate
forte o tambor
Eu quero tic-tic-tic-tic-tá
Bate forte o tambor
Eu quero tic-tic-tic-tic-tá
É nessa dança que meu boi balança
E o povo de fora vem para brincar
É nessa dança que meu boi balança
E o povo de fora vem para brincar..." |
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This
page was created on: January 24th 2002.
Last updated on: August 3rd 2003.
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