The Parintins Festival: A Colorful Cultural Celebration from Brazil

If you are an English teacher looking for ways to bring Brazilian culture into your English classroom, the Parintins Festival is an interesting theme! This vibrant event from the Amazon region offers a rich mix of traditions, music, colors, and storytelling that can engage students and expand their vocabulary.

What is the Parintins Festival?

The Parintins Festival, also called Festival do Boi-Bumbá, is one of the largest and most famous cultural festivals in Brazil. It takes place every year in Parintins, a city in the state of Amazonas, usually at the end of June.

The festival is a folkloric competition between two teams: Caprichoso (the blue team) and Garantido (the red team). Each team tells its version of a traditional Amazonian story about a resurrected ox, called "Boi".

Main Vocabulary (Portuguese – English)

• Boi-Bumbá – Bumba-meu-boi / The Dancing Ox

• Ox – Boi

• Arena – Arena / Stage

• Costumes – Fantasias

• Feathers – Penas

• Drums – Tambores

• Songs – Canções / Songs

• Dance – Dança

• Team – Time / Equipe

• Audience – Público / Plateia

• Legends – Lendas

• Amazon Rainforest – Floresta Amazônica

• Colors – Cores

• Caprichoso (Blue Team) – Caprichoso (Time Azul)

• Garantido (Red Team) – Garantido (Time Vermelho)

Cultural Highlights

• The performances are full of colorful costumes, giant floats, and traditional music.

• The songs often talk about the Amazon rainforest, indigenous people, and local legends.

• Each night, both teams perform for the audience and judges at the Bumbódromo, the arena built just for this festival.

Let's think how to use this theme in the classroom?

1. Vocabulary Match Game:Write the new English words on one set of cards and the Portuguese translations on another. Students can match them in pairs.

   
   

2. Color and Design Your Own Ox (Art + English):Give students a drawing of an ox. Let them choose: Team Blue (Caprichoso) or Team Red (Garantido). They can color and write a short sentence like:

   “My ox is blue because I like Caprichoso.”

   “My ox is red and very strong!”

   
   

3. Music and Rhythm Activity:Play a short clip of a Boi-Bumbá song (choose one without copyright issues for school use). Teach simple vocabulary like drums, dance, music. Let students clap or play percussion instruments following the rhythm.

   
   

4. Storytelling Time – The Legend of the Ox (Simple English Version):Tell a short, simplified version of the Boi-Bumbá story in English with support from images or puppets.

   
   

5. Mini Parade (Performance):Invite students to create headbands with feathers, or decorate paper masks of the ox. Organize a small classroom parade where they can walk around showing their ox, saying:

   “I am from the blue team!”

   “I am from the red team!”

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Curious Facts about the Parintins Festival

Two Teams, One Passion

The entire city of Parintins is divided between two teams: Caprichoso (Blue) and Garantido (Red). Families, friends, and even streets show their team colors with decorations, flags, and clothes during the festival.

The Bumbódromo

The performances happen in a special stadium called the Bumbódromo, designed in the shape of a giant ox head when viewed from above! It can hold more than 35,000 people.

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A Festival Without Rivalry Outside the Arena

Even though the competition is intense inside the arena, outside the shows there is no violence or fighting between fans. Respect and celebration are part of the tradition.

Amazon Themes

The performances are not just about the ox story. They also include themes like Amazonian nature, indigenous culture, and environmental protection. Students can learn a lot about the Amazon Rainforest during this unit!

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Unique Music and Dance

The music style is called "Toada", a rhythmic and melodic style specific to the Boi-Bumbá. The dances are full of energy, with colorful costumes and feathered headdresses.

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Broadcast and Global Reach

The festival is so important that it is broadcast on national TV in Brazil and attracts international tourists every year.

Months of Preparation

Each team spends months preparing their floats, costumes, dances, and songs. Many artists, musicians, and designers work behind the scenes to create this magical event.