Parintins - Amazon Folklore Festival


Each year, in the last weekend of June, a tribal war is fought in the Amazon town of Parintins. Two sides of the town battle it out in an annual competition of dance, costumes, fireworks and ritual. Each side tells the story of Pai Francisco and a magical bull. The story originated in Brazil's Northeast, but through its relocation its been transformed into a history of the Amazon, its people and settlement, indigenous people, rituals, legends, and environment. It's the biggest festival in the region and rivals the Rio Carnaval in spectacle. But, unlike Rio, its a small town not full of tourists - its just full of locals having fun and celebrating in their own unique way.

These photos are from my visit in 2000. The red tribe is called Garantido, and blue tribe is Caprichoso. My articles about this were published in Destinations travel magazine and the Qantas airline magazine.
Main performers of Garantido, who sing and narrate the story of the bull (boi).
Preparing the costumes.
Festival dancers gathering before their performance.
Festival dancer with snake bone accessories.
David Assayag AKA The Voice of the Amazon is a superstar at Parintins. Hes a much-loved and sometimes controversial singer (mostly for the couple of times that he switched between teams) who is also blind.
Garantido bull performing for Pai Francisco.
Festival performers waiting in the wings.
More festival performers waiting in the wings for their entrance.
Festival performer.
Performance of the Amazon Indians and Pajé (Shaman).
Performance of the Amazon Indians and Pajé (Shaman).
Performance of the Amazon Indians and Pajé (Shaman).
Caprichoso pajé (shaman). Festival performance.
Norato, the giant snake, floats over the performance in the Bumbádromo.
The Garantido bull is returned to life upon the hand of God.
Dancing under the hot Amazon sun in the streets of Parintins.
The town centre where the Garantido and Caprichoso territories meet.
Garantido supporters in the Bumbádromo.
Caprichoso crowd practicing their cheering.
Caprichoso crowd warming up in the afternoon before performance.
Last touches on a festival float.
Amazon riverboat in Manaus boarding, ready to go to Parintins.
Amazon riverboat set to party. On the way to Parintins.
Parintins waterfront crowded with Amazon riverboats during the festival.
Animated floats at a performance.
Andrew Mercer (Bald White Guy)
Andrew Mercer
I'm a Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing consultant based in Brisbane, Australia. I've consulted on or managed several large BI systems in New Zealand, Australia and Latin America.
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