Seven years after receiving the title of Cultural Heritage of Brazil, the Bumba-Meu-Boi Cultural Complex, one of the most prominent cultural manifestations of the state of Maranhão, is 
about to receive international recognition.
On April 5, the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) the candidacy dossier for the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The title is granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Learn more about Bumba-Meu-Boi:
What is it?
Bumba-meu-boi is a performance that mixes revelry, music, dance, and performing arts. Participants dramatize the story of the characters Pai Francisco and his pregnant wife, Mãe Catirina. Pai Francisco steals the tongue of one of the bulls from 
the farm where he worked to satisfy Catirina’s desire, but the owner of the bull ends up forgiving the worker for the theft after healers restore the bull’s health. The story concludes with a celebration to mark the happy ending.
Cultural Wealth
The cultural manifestation is so rich in expressions that Bumba-Meu-Boi is considered a Cultural Complex, as it 
encompasses multiple styles, groups, and elements of Maranhão’s culture. It also brings together elements such as faith, celebration, art, devotion to Catholic saints, belief in Afro-Brazilian religious entities, and legends.
The candidacy dossier presented by Iphan highlights that “the cultural manifestation, which carries a symbolic load that reproduces the cycle of life (birth, life, and death), is a metaphor for human existence itself.
Source: www.brazilgovnews.gov.br