Carnaval is Coming....

Although Carnaval 2006 will officially take place February 25-29, the festivities -- or at least public practices for the festivities -- are an extended affair, particularly in the Northeast. Yesterday, I headed to Paço Alfândega for a bit of a walkabout and found myself face to face with this giant Bumba Meu Boi [Dance/Grind My Bull].

Bumba is an extremely popular folkloric character throughout Brazil and is roughly based on a legend about Catrina and her husband Francisco. While variations of the story exist, the basic premise is that Catrina is pregnant and craves ox tongue. Of course, not only does she crave tongue, she graves the tongue of the star bull of the landowner's herd. Her husband, Francisco, kills the bull and presents the tongue to Catrina. When the dead [or in some versions, badly wounded] bull is discovered, the landowner is outraged [in some versions, Catrina and Francisco are slaves while in others Catrina is the goddaughter of the landowner] and orders an investigation. Francisco is caught and brought to trial. In order to save Francisco, a slew of Native and African curandeiros and shamans are summoned and through a series of dances and rituals succeed in bringing the bull back to life. Thus Francisco is saved and the ordeal ends with a massive community celebration and dance.

Bumba Meu Boi the legend has turned into a major celebration and dance which is either incorporated into other celebrations -- like Carnaval -- or is a celebration on its own, particularly near Christmas or in June during the Festas Juninas. One of the biggest Bumba festivals is in the city of São Luis, the capital of the State of Maranhão.