August festivals: Brazil’s Bumba Meu Boi Festival

Derived from African, Indian and Portuguese folklore which intermingled during colonial times, the story behind Bumba Meu Boi revolves around the story of an ox’s death and resurrection. During the festival the story is told through dance, song, theatre and capoeira (Brazilian martial art combining elements of dance, acrobatics and music), by a band of street performers, many dressed as oxen or mythological creatures.