RouteSão Luís

Bumba Meu Boi: Maranhão's Great Festival of the Bull

Bumba Meu Boi — declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO — is the greatest popular festival of Maranhão; the celebration of a bull's death and resurrection through music, dance, and dazzling costume is São Luís's cultural identity

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The Boi Story
Bumba Meu Boi tells the story of Catirina – pregnant and craving the tongue of the rancher's prize bull – whose husband Chico kills the bull to satisfy her; the bull then resurrects through magic; the story mixes indigenous, African and Portuguese traditions
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Arraial do Boi Festival
The June Festival of São Luís – which runs throughout the month – sees dozens of boi groups (sotaques) parading through the city and in Praça do Boi; each sotaque has its own music, costume style and choreography
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Boi de Matraca Style
Matraca sotaque — from São Luís — is characterized by large groups of dancers with pairs of wooden clappers (matracas) that create a percussive wall of sound; The matraca rhythm is the most intense of the boi styles
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Boi de Zabumba Style
Zabumba sotaque—from the interior of Maranhão—uses a bass drum and brass ensemble; the sound is more measured and stately than the matraca, and the bull costume is more elaborate with intricate embroidery
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Boi da Ilha Style
Ilha sotaque - from the islands of São Luís Bay - uses ornate bull costumes and a more dance-focused performance; cabocla de pena (feathered native character) is the most spectacular of this style
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UNESCO recognition
Bumba Meu Boi was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019 — in recognition of its extraordinary blend of indigenous, African and Portuguese cultures in a uniquely Brazilian synthesis