Paper short abstract:

Based on theories of ritual and performance, and on ethnograhic research, the paper analyses the production and the expression of identification, belonging and rivalry that annually sets in motion the Ox-dance ("Boi-Bumbá") performances in Parintins, Amazonas/Brazil.

Paper long abstract:

Based on theories of ritual and performance, and on ethnograhic research, the paper analyses the production and the expression of identification, belonging and rivalry that annually sets in motion the Ox-dance ("Boi-Bumbá") performances in Parintins, Amazonas/Brazil. The Parintins Ox Dance Festival is an unique and creative variant of the traditional ox merry-making found in many different Brazilian regions.Parintins is a town located in an island in the Amazon river and its identity is now closely associated to the production of this festival in which two groups (with more or less two thousand people) perform an elaborated sequence of small dramas with songs and dances. The performances are held in a stadium during the three evenings of June´s last week-end and each group performances´take two hours and a half. Regional mithical themes are presented and celebrate a mestizo ("cabloco") identity that is enacted through the intense rivalry that opposes and unites the two Ox groups. The paper proposes an understanding of the fictional and symbolic dimension of the production and expression of this rivalry. The analysis of the festive process considers the aesthethic and social dimensions of its preparation as well as those of the ritual performances.