Parintins Folk Festival in Brazil

P A R I N T I N S, Brazil, July 19 -- — Fireworks light up the sky and hundreds of drums ripple through the night, but it is a thundering, collective “moo” that sets the tone at this bizarre jungle carnival deep in the heart of the Amazon.

Set in the middle of a million square miles of dense rain forest, the sleepy town of Parintins explodes with life once a year in a passionate celebration of its cattle ranching roots and almost century-old folk rivalry.

In a spectacle that pits neighbor against neighbor, twoteams named after oxen vie for the Parintins Folk Festival titlewith a Carnival-like show of three-story floats, befeathereddancers and an army of percussionists.

Spinning Yarns and Bursting Bulls

They recount Indian tales and local history, but what reallydrives the thousands of fans wild at this “Boi-Bumba” or “Ox Bang-up” are the surprise appearances of the bulls, who burst out of floats to the sound of cheers and moos.

“Come my ox, my beautiful black bull, symbol of love andwealth that makes my ranch valuable,” the audience bellows outas a man dressed as the Caprichoso Boi, or Capricious Ox, bucksaround the center of the “Bumbodromo,” a 35,000-seat arena shaped like a bull’s head and built especially for the event.

The spectacle dazzles locals and the tens of thousands ofvisitors who pour into Parintins for the three-day festival atthe end of June, doubling the town’s population to 160,000.

“I can’t believe that something so big and beautiful iscreated out of nothing. I mean, there is no civilizationanywhere near,” said a chef flown in from Rio de Janeiro tofeed celebrities and politicians during this year’s event.

A Town Divided

The festival has gradually reinvented the poor riversidecommunity, showcasing the beauty and creativity of the far-flungregion better known for environmental destruction andlawlessness. But some critics are beginning to wonder if all theattention is helping erode decades-old traditions.