Latin Spectacle

With a name like Festa Do Boi Bumba, this Brazilian all-night party couldn't be anything but a raucous celebration. Indeed, Boi Bumba - meaning to strike or beat - is a spectacle that can be described only as a collision between a Vegas floor show and a tribal rite.

The festivities, which erupt in the expansive courtyard of the Tropical Hotel in Manaus, are relatively new to the capital of Amazonas, but have legendary roots in the remote river town of Parintins. According to a 200-year-old myth, a local peasant killed his master's bull to satisfy his pregnant wife's craving for meat. Once caught, the man was saved from punishment by an Indian shaman, who miraculously brought the bull back to life, prompting a celebration.

Now, it's Boi Bumba that's resurrected annually at the hotel, this year on June 19. More than 2,000 locals and visitors flirt, fraternize, and dance from dusk until dawn, while singers and dancers dripping in feathers and spangles put in fever-pitch efforts on two main stages. Other performers always bring the action right into the gyrating crowd with acrobatics, fire-breathing and the parading of huge paper-mâché animals.

-- Eric Hiss

Back to print publications page