Lower-class Brazilians mock and criticize those of higher social status through a comedic folklore story told in song and dance.

[citation needed] Though not as well known internationally as Carnival and other Brazilian festivals, it is older and deeply rooted in the culture of Brazil.

[1] The principal figures include an ox, a white master (Cavalo Marinho, in Pernambuco), a black pregnant woman (Catirina), a Vaqueiro or cowboy (Mateus, Chico or Pai Francisco), other vaqueiros (cowboys), índios, índias and caboclos (indigenous people), a priest, and a doctor (or indigenous healers, pajés).

It was through these rough conditions that Bumba Meu Boi was born to bring joy to these deprived communities, as well as to provide men with an internal form of rebellion.

[citation needed] As it became more popular throughout northeastern communities in the 21st century, people began performing it for the entertainment of others, rather than merely for self-enjoyment.

There are those who continue to celebrate the festival in its traditional forms, who mainly live in northern, northeastern, and Amazonian cities and villages, especially in Maranhão, though it also exists in central regions as well.

Rationally, this form exists in more populated, modernized cities such as Rio de Janeiro, and is perceived by traditionalists to have lost the meaning of the celebration.

These are thought to have been passed down from lower-class Portuguese families, as similar social activities can be traced back much further in Portugal.

Each sotaque (which means "accent") has its own characteristics that are manifested in clothes, in the choice of instruments, in the type of cadence of music and in choreographies.

The sotaques are: matraca, zabumba, orquestra, from the Baixada Maranhense, and costa de mão, that appear especially in the month of June, in the Festas Juninas, in places called Arraiais.

The plot recalls a typical history of the region's social and economic relations during the colonial period, marked by monoculture, extensive cattle breeding and slavery, mixing European, African and indigenous cultures.

Martial, 30/06), there is a large batalhões of bumba meu boi of matraca (two small pieces of wood, beaten against each other, to produce the rhythm) in the neighborhood of João Paulo, in São Luís, capital of Maranhão.

[9][8] Finding a single true plot behind the story of Bumba Meu Boi is near impossible due to all its variances throughout different communities in Brazil.

Usually the first to walk into the room is Cavalo Marinho (or Amo, the owner of farm), wearing a costume that makes it appear as though he is riding a horse.

After a dance of their own, Catirina proclaims her need to consume the tongue of an ox or bull, for she fears her baby will die, or sometimes have certain birth defects if she doesn't.

At some point in this final scene the Capitão do Mato or police arrives which is a man dress in a military outfit.

[10][5] The Band: Is typically positioned visually on the side of the stage or room, and is responsible for creating a beat for the performers to dance to.

He is typically white, representing a Portuguese heritage, and wears a naval captain's costume, including a colored coat with golden ornaments hanging from it.

Their role in the play is as energetic jokesters, who obey the orders of Cavalo Marinho, and are meant to arouse the audience with laughter and remarkable dancing.

The Vaqueiros tend to mainly mock the roles of authority in the play such as the Cavalo Marinho, Doctor, priest, and Capitão do Mato (police).

Lastly, Mateus tends to be decorated with many noisy bells hanging from his clothes, and Birico will typically wear a mask, while both carry whips in hand.

[8] Catirina: As almost all female roles in Bumba Meu Boi, she is played by a man, as a black, provocative woman.

[10] Priest: Is played by a man wearing an elegant robe of sorts, usually with some type of religious symbol on it, such as a cross or Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In Maranhão, indigenous healers, the pajés, try to bring the ox back to life[10] In longer versions, where Mateus (or Chico or Pai Francisco) and Birico embark on a journey to find the ox, the secondary characters they stumble upon are usually two or three of the following: Burrinha or Zabelinha: This is a role of an unattractive woman riding a donkey, who tends to please the audience with a fast tap dance.

[10] Caboclinha: A man plays an Amerindian girl wearing a costume made of feathers, and rides a goat.

[10] Mutuca – in Maranhão, are responsible for the distribution of cachaça to all dancers not to sleep during the marathons of presentation of my bumba meu boi.