Boi Novilho dos Lençois & Boi Famosão de São João

Humberto de Campos June 2019

In Humberto de Campos word got around that we were students and researchers interested in the regional celebration Bumba-meu-boi. One night a group called Boi Novilho dos Lençois came to the Pousada Miritiba where we were staying. They staged a rehearsal for us in the dining room of the pousada.

This video is of the rehearsal.

After the rehearsal in the pousada we visited the headquarters of the group. They showed their workshop and modeled their new costumes for us.

It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship involved in costume production
Director and designer of the group shows this year’s costumes
Like most groups, Boi Novilho’s costumes are a mix of showmanship and traditional religious motifs
Costume room, Boi Novilho dos Lençois
Some of the performers (brincantes) after the rehearsal

Boi Famosão de São João

Humberto de Campos is also home to the headquarters of Boi Famosao de Sao Joao which is celebrating its 30th year. The boi (ox) of a traditional group is usually 3-4 feet long and “danced” by one person called a miolo. Boi Famosão is so large that it takes over a dozen miolos to animate it.

A week later we saw the group perform at the Maria Aragão venue in São Luis. The performance photos are from that appearance.

You can see the scale of the boi by comparing the relative size of UW-Milwaukee student Alex (l) who was photographing.
This large wall mural was actually the previous decoration for the boi. By custom groups change the decoration on their ox figures often, usually at great cost. The cost is significant for a normal-sized ox. A work this size takes many hands and a huge investment.
Caterina is a character in the narrative of most Bumba-meu-boi performances. Here she is dancing with the boi on stage in Sao Luis.
The boi towers over the stage at Maria Aragao, Sao Luis.
Looking like a centipede, Boi Formosao is carried by more than a dozen miolos who animate it in performance
You can see a bit of the framework of the boi, and the tremendous effort it takes to animate it in performance.
The boi stands over the brincantes, dominating the stage with its sheer size. Here the miolos are preparing to carry it offstage where a special path had to be cleared by security