Parintins, Brazil - 1 of 4

Parintins known for its once-a-year folkloric festival that seems to spread an attitude of fun throughout the year. With a population of 101,956 people on 4,392 square miles, it’s a totally contained island on the Amazon River on the Island of Tupinambarana. The people originally were the indigenous Satere Mawe, later in 1669 settled by a religious mission here but now are mostly mixed race and culture from the Portuguese, European and Japanese influence beginning in1749. The Bio Bumba (or bumba-meu-boi in Brazilian folklore) festival here in the biggest annual festival in the Amazones. The toada is a musical style originating from this city, which features folk dances with indigenous, caboclo and riverside themes. A combination of theater, drums, music, dancing and circus represents the agricultural cycles with an 18th century story of an ox, which somehow translates into two ox teams competing during the festival. Tens of thousands come for the 3 day annual festival. (SEE THE TWO VIDEOS). Everything is RED and/or BLUE (even the coke cans)!

The primary economics is from agriculture and livestock (cattle and pig). Some of the crops produced over the years include: pineapple, jute, rice, sweet potato, sugar cane, beans, tobacco, cassava, manioc, passion fruit, wild passion fruit, watermelon, soybeans (organic), melon and corn. Permanent crops include: avocado, banana, cocoa, coffee, cashew, coconut, orange, lemon, guarana and tangerine.Read more