In the middle of the Amazon rainforest, the island of Parintins (AM), situated on the banks of the Amazon River and 365 kilometers from Manaus, continues to receive hourly planes and, mainly, crowded boats arriving from the capital and other Amazonian destinations. There are thousands of tourists from Brazil and the world who are arriving to witness the Parintins Folklore Festival.
At the time of the festival, the population of the island, of 120 thousand inhabitants, almost doubles. The expectation, according to the city of Parintins, is to receive 80 thousand tourists in this year’s edition.
In addition, according to the State Tourism Company of Amazonas, more than R $ 420 million have been moved in the region since 2005 with the presence of almost 700 thousand tourists. Just last year, the celebration injected R $ 50 million into the local economy and generated at least five thousand direct and indirect jobs in the region.
The presentations, began on June 28 and run through June 30, symbolize a dispute and take place in an arena named “bumbódromo”. The stadium with the shape of a bull’s head has a capacity of 35 thousand spectators and remains crowded in the three nights of festival, always held on the last weekend of June.
The folkloric festival, Often called Festival do Boi-Bumbá, celebrates a local legend about a resurrected ox. The party is hundred years old. It is also a competition where two teams, Garantido and Caprichoso. It is believed that the Guaranteed came in 1913 and the Caprichoso in 1925.
The two teams compete in extended retellings of the story, each team attempting to outdo the other with flamboyant dances, singing, and parade floats. The event, in its current format, has existed since 1965 and is in its 54 th edition.
For the Minister of Tourism, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, the celebration of Parintins reinforces the fundamental role that Brazilian culture has as a national and world tourist attraction.
“Traditional events of this magnitude only show why Brazil occupies the 8th position in the ranking of the World Economic Forum of countries with representative cultural attractions. The festival also contributes to the generation of employment and income, besides social inclusion, central objectives of the new strategic agenda for the development of tourism in the country,” said the minister.
As in a carnival parade, the festival follows a storyline. Besides the toads, the props and the costumes, the allegories stand out during the presentations. They are pushed by about 300 people. The spectacle is marked by gigantic representations of ox-bumba characters who, in addition to gaining articulated movements, are between 35 and 40 meters in length and 12 meters in height.
