Bumba Meu Boi: The Cultural Legend OF Brazilian Folklore
What Is Bumba Meu Boi ?
Bumba Meu Boi, commonly known as the “Boy,” is regarded as one of the most prolific myths in Brazilian culture. Usually depicted as a rainbow colored ox, Bumba Meu Boi is deeply rooted in the time of slavery (18th century) and offers rich narrative and concepts of greed, cruelty, redemption, and the power of community. As the ox is mostly represented as a vengeful spirit to the oppressors, the boy stands for the backward class people, the animal, and nature.
The Festival
Bumba Meu Boi, also known as Boi Bumba, is one of the most celebrated festivals in Brazil. This festival usually occurs twice a year, during the months of June and December. The festival is mainly associated with traditional folk dance and serves as a unifying symbol of humans and nature. “The Ox,” the name of the dance form, is represented with dancers wearing colorful ox costumes to represent the legend as a symbol of universal love and prosperity.
The Origin Of The Boi
According to the legend, a priest’s wife by the name of Mother Catirina, in her pregnant state, started to have a craving for the tongue of the most beautiful ox on the farm. Wasting no time, Father Francisco, the husband, took the ox into the woods and butchered its tongue. The father or the priest gifts the tongue to his wife as a token of love, but he turns the ox into a vengeful spirit.
The Vengeance
As an act of cruelty by Father Francisco, the ox, now being tongue less, suffers great pain and agony. The innocent creature wonders around the woods for help but faces its death due to the hardship. This made the ox turn into a vengeful spirit with supernatural powers and abilities. The creature stated its rampage on the lands of Brazil, killing men, especially people who have deep connections with Father Francisco, claiming the title of “Boi.”
Restoration Of Peace
The chaos made Father Francisco fear his own death, as a result of which he approached some of his friends who belonged to the sorcerer’s clan known as the Cazumbás. Seeing their friend in misery, the Cazumás guided the father to resurrect the ox. They performed shamanistic rituals all around the corpse to restore its life. The miraculous event immediately stopped the killing spree of the Boi, restoring peace and harmony in Maranhão, the state where the event took place, and all the other parts of Brazil.
The Alternative Storyline
As cultures have different interpretations from place to place, folklore is something that also gets tweaked as a result of it. According to the alternative lore, the wife, Mother Catirina, was not pregnant; rather, she had a child who had a close connection with animals and nature. When he got to know that their parents had done a horrid sin to his beloved ox, the child got possessed by spirits of divine origin and practiced a spiritual ritual around the corpse to restore its life.
Conclusion
The legend of Bumba Meu Boi, or Boi Bumba, represents the concept of universal love. Men, being the smartest beings on the planet, have a wide responsibility to protect nature and, hence, should show mercy to animals or people who are inferior to their class. The festival of Boi represents the unity of nature and nurture and showcases the concepts of diversity in culture and unity in protecting nature.