Photo of the Week 2014 #07

This last weekend was the close of the traditional folk festival of Bumba Meu Boi (the legend of the death and resurrection of a bull). At the Boulevard do Arco in the center of Sobral, all the groups from the city made their presentations in front of a packed crowd.

Wikipedia describes this tradition as:

Bumba-meu-boi “Hit-my-bull” is a Brazilian folk theatrical tradition. The tale is told through the music, the costumes and drumming involving a bull, which dies and is brought back to life. Versions of the tale vary regionally, but the most important central characters include the Bull (a player in an elaborate costume), Catirina (an ugly pregnant girl, usually played by a man in drag), a cowboy who is in charge of the Bull and who causes the Bull to die, the priest, the rich and powerful owner of the Bull, and the music (which magically drums the Bull back to life).