Parintins is a magical island, located 420 km from Manaus (the capital of Amazonas state). It’s the second most populated city in this region, and has incredibly been able to maintain an extremely rich culture in the middle of the Amazon forest. Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about my experience there during the Parintins Folkloric Festival. 

First thing’s first:

How to Get There

From Manaus, you can get to Parintins by boat, speedboat or airplane. 

Yes, by plane! Although it is a small island in the Amazonas River, Parintins is an important touristic destination, and two airline companies offer flights here. Flights take about 50 minutes from Manaus. However, we’d only recommend flying if you’d really want to go and only have a couple of days to visit. Prices are high, and so is the carbon footprint on this short flight!

If you have time and want to have an unforgettable experience, boat or speedboat are the best choices. By boat, you need a full day – 20 hours navigating the turbid waters of Amazonas River and spotting the natural scenery: the incredibly green shore and also some riverside communities. The landscape is breathtaking and provides a panoramic view of the Amazon forest. When night comes, if you need to rest, just relax in one of the colored hammocks inside the boat.

Speedboats will provide you the same beautiful view (inside the cabin), but the trip will take about 8 hours. Comfortable seats and TVs on board help time to pass by. Please note that for the trip back to Manaus, both speedboats and boats take more time to complete the route as this way they are navigating against the river’s current.

The Parintins’ locals are extremely talented when it comes to art. Just a few hours after arriving, you can easily understand the famous expression they proudly say there: “Every parintinense (what the locals are called) is born an artist.” This talent is also born with one of two colors – red and blue – and take a more definitive form when Parintins Festival is coming.

The Parintins Festival 

This is the main attraction in the city and, every year, on the last weekend in June – the festival always takes place on Friday, Saturday and Monday – Parintins shows the world one of the most beautiful folkloric festivals. The city is completely divided into the two most important “teams” of the Festival: Boi-Bumbá Garantido (the white bull which has a red heart on its forehead) and Boi-Bumbá Caprichoso (the black one which has a blue star on its forehead).

As a part of the traditional cultural manifestations in June, the Boi-Bumbá was directly influenced by the Bumba-meu-Boi from Maranhão. The Amazon region has received lots of immigrants from the northeast of Brazil, and their traditions have been spread around.

And so the legend of the bumbás was adapted in this region as well. It all starts with the story of Mãe Catirina, a pregnant woman who has a deep desire to eat ox tongue, and convinces her husband – Pai Francisco – who works on a farm, to sacrifice the farmer’s favorite bull. When the farmer finds out what happened to his favorite animal, he orders the Indians to hunt Pai Francisco, who, at this time is desperately imploring the shaman to bring the bull back to life. When it’s all done and the bull is alive again, the farmer forgives both Pai Francisco and Mãe Catirina and a huge celebration starts.

At the beginning of the tradition in the region, the bumbás used to take the streets with their traditional songs, dances and performances, reenacting this legend. But, after some time, due to the high number of people along the streets and some fights among extreme fans, it was necessary to build a specific place with all the infrastructure needed for this celebration. From that moment on, the bumbás started to perform officially in a competition –and so the  Parintins’ Festival was born.

The tradition of Boi-Bumbá mixed with the indigenous and riverside communities’ cultures are a way of life for the people here. Many of them work directly in the production of the Festival by participating in the choreographic and scenic groups, by manufacturing the costumes and allegories, or by helping to arrange the event backstage.

If you’re visiting Parintins for the first time, take note of some tips and useful information so you can enjoy this experience the most. 

Inside the Bumbódromo – the arena where the bumbás make their presentations – the supporters have different and set sides, so you need to choose your favorite one and wear their colors – red clothes if you are Garantido or blue clothes if you prefer Caprichoso. There are few neutral areas inside the arena, so if you’re in doubt about picking up just one of them, try to wear neutral colors such as yellow and brown, for example.

More important than the clothes you wear, is your behavior during the presentation. The competition between the supporters is very strong but the respect is even bigger. While one is on stage, the opposite side has its lights turned off and the supporters need to stay quiet. If the supporters don’t respect this rule, this can reduce the score of your own bumbá. On the other hand, when it’s your time to cheer, release all your energy to sing, shout, dance and celebrate as the crowds also counts points for the team, and can impact the final score.

Remember that the three nights of presentations are completely different: toadas (name of the traditional songs), allegories, costumes so you never get bored! Try to relax and rest during the day as you need a lot of energy to stay up the whole night in the arena – each presentation lasts 2 hours and a half and you won’t want to leave  before it ends.

What to Do in Parintins

Walking through the streets during the day, you will see how the city breathes the festival’s  culture.

Wherever you go on the island it’s not difficult to notice that buses and cars are not so common in this region. If you need to get to a place that’s too far to walk – or even if it’s too hot for a walk, you can easily find a “tricycle,” which is a unique tuk-tuk-like mode of transportation . This typical means of transportation employs a lot of locals, who are always ready to carry you, wheeling through the streets and sharing their knowledge and stories about the local culture.

Don’t leave Parintins without checking out the endless tents full of local handicrafts – if you love accessories with feathers, this is the place! 

Close to these tents you’ll find the Cathedral, a beautiful building that honors Nossa Senhora do Carmo, patroness of Parintins. Downtown, the Municipal Market is also worth a visit, where you can taste the local food – their fishes and soups are delicious! At the end of the afternoon, grasp the opportunity to admire the wonderful sunset view from the market’s terrace.

While traveling through the streets of the island, you will also find something very curious – you will notice that famous brands have changed their logo’s colors, so they can support both Garantido and Caprichoso. Where else can you find a blue Coca-Cola brand?!

Depending on the date of your arrival, before the festival starts, you can visit Garantido and Caprichosos’ “currals.” Each of them has its own space where the supporters can celebrate their favorite bumbá. Rehearsals and individual events warm the fans up to the three most important nights.

Parintins has its own energy, something that cannot be explained, only felt. It is a place where you can find the real meaning of culture, and admire how locals do everything to preserve their traditions. If the purpose of your visit to Brazil is an immersion into local culture, the magical island needs to be a  part of your itinerary. 

Written by Thayana Fraga, Viare Travel’s operations’ consultant, and lover of Brazilian indigenous folklore and dance!