The men appear on horseback at daybreak, emerging from the thorny thicket of shrubs and small trees that mark the semiarid landscape of the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco.
The 200 or so cowboys known in Portuguese as “vaqueiros” are clad head-to-toe in traditional garb called “gibao.” The protective leather clothing consists of elaborately stitched chaps, jackets, hats and hand coverings decorated with bits of orange, red and blue that they have donned for the annual festival known as “Pega de Boi,” or “Catch the Bull.”
Most of the “vaqueiros” make the special clothing themselves. Those who cannot, buy their outfits from local artisans for about $200. The cowboys sit on small leather saddles, their boots slipped inside the stirrups, and occasionally take a sip of cachaca, a distilled spirt made from sugarcane juice, out of a bull’s horn.
Women never participate in the event, and at this particular competition there aren’t even any female spectators.
Hundreds of bulls supplied by local ranchers have been herded into a corral where they wait to be let loose into the shrub-dotted terrain. “May the fastest win,” an announcer shouts over a loudspeaker, and the annual competition begins.
The gate swings open and the first bull rushes out into the shrub land, known as the “caatinga,” and a team of two cowboys gives chase. The two grasp the bull’s tail, knock the animal down, and grab a leather necklace that was earlier placed over its head. They then deliver the necklace to the judge as fast as they can.
The exercise is repeated with other bulls and teams, each timed to determine which “vaqueiros” are the fastest.
After the winners are declared, the bulls are allowed to roam freely until the following day when they are rounded up and returned to their owners.
Joao de Cazuza, 56, recalls how his father and grandfather introduced him to the event when he was a young boy. They would take more than four days herding bulls through the bush just to get to the festival.
He says that he was just 15 when he donned his first “gibao,” and “from that moment on I knew I was a ‘vaqueiro.'”
Deda Carvalho, who is 54, works inside the corral preparing the bulls to be set loose into the “caatinga.” Later, he sits on a corral fence made of tree branches with his 19-year-old son, Thiago, who he says is now a “real cowboy” as well.
Thiago Carvalho says this is all he has ever wanted.
“I grew up listening to the cowboy stories of my father and uncles,” says the younger Carvalho. “I am proud to be a ‘vaqueiro.'”
Click on any image below to launch the gallery.
In this July 24, 2015 photo, Brazilian cowboy Joao de Cazuza laces up his chaps to compete in the annual Catch the Bull event in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Cazuza, 56, is clad head-to-toe in traditional garb called “gibao.” The protective leather clothing consists of elaborately stitched chaps, jacket, hat and hand coverings decorated with bits of color for the annual festival known as “Pega de Boi.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, cowboys watch the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” from the edges of the corral in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Bulls supplied by local ranchers are herded into the corral where they wait to be let loose into the shrub-dotted terrain. “May the fastest win!” an announcer shouts over a loudspeaker, and the annual competition begins. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, Leo Andre’s face is covered in cuts after galloping on his horse through the brush to compete in the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Thorny thickets of shrubs and small trees mark the semiarid landscape of the northeastern state, known as the “caatinga.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy gallops through the brush, chasing a bull as he competes in the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The goal of the “vaqueiro” is to knock the bull down by its tail, grab a leather necklace around the animal’s neck and deliver it to the judge as fast as he can. Cowboys work in teams of two. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy wears his traditional “gibao” suit at the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Brazilian cowboys, known as “vaqueros,” make their own protective clothing from leather or buy a tailor-made “gibao” from a local artisan, shelling out about $200 dollars. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a team of two cowboys chase a bull through the scrub at the annual Catch the Bull competition known as the “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. After the winners are declared, the bulls are allowed to roam freely until the following day when they are rounded up and returned to their owners. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, corral worker Deda Carvalho, right, talks with his son Thiago on the corral fence before the start of the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Carvalho, 54, prepares the bulls that will be let loose into the”caatinga.” His 19-year-old cowboy son said this is all he has ever wanted. “I grew up listening to the cowboy stories of my father and uncles,” said Thiago. “I am proud to be a ‘vaqueiro.'” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy sips “cachaça” from a bull horn during the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The drink is a distilled spirt made from sugarcane juice and is shared among riders throughout the day. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy’s shadow is cast on a traditional adobe home as the sun sets in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state, after the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi.” Brazilian cowboys, known as “vaqueiros,” are traditionally from this northeastern region, and emerged from the integration of white colonizers with native Brazilian indigenous communities around the 15th century, when cattle and horses were introduced to Brazil. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, cowboy Joao de Cazuza attends the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The 56-year-old cowboy recalls how his father and grandfather introduced him to the event when he was a young boy. He said they would take more than four days herding bulls through the bush just to get to the festival. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a team of two cowboys chase a bull through the brush as they compete in the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The exercise of removing a leather necklace from the animal’s neck and returning it to judges as fast as they can is repeated with other bulls and teams, each timed to determine which “vaqueiros” are the fastest. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy sits on his horse during the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. When the corral gate swings open, teams of two “vaqueiros” give chase to a bull rushing into the shrub land known as the “caatinga.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, 7-year-old Garoto Ozeas rests on his horse after watching the annual Catch the Bull competition known as the “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. There’s no minimum age to compete, but the youngest riders are about 17-years-old. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, a cowboy gets a better vantage point from a tree branch at the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Thorny thickets of shrubs and small trees mark the semiarid landscape of the northeastern state where Brazil’s cowboy culture got started in the 15th century as cattle and horses were introduced by European colonizers. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, cowboy Joao do Dito arrives to the annual Catch the Bull competition known as the “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The 66-year-old lost the use of his right eye while competing one year, and now comes to watch others compete. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, cowboys stand on the edge of the corral during the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Women never compete in Catch the Bull, and at this particular competition there weren’t any female spectators. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, Joao de Cazuza wears his “gibao” cowboy suit as he gets ready to compete in the annual Catch the Bull competition known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. The 56-year-old said he was just 15 when donned his first traditional riding outfit, and “from that moment on I knew I was a “vaqueiro.”(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
In this July 24, 2015 photo, cowboys ride home at sunset after competing in the annual Catch the Bull event known as “Pega do Boi” in Serrita, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Brazilian cowboys, known as “vaqueiros,” are traditionally from this northeastern region, and emerged from the integration of white colonizers with native Brazilian indigenous communities around the 15th century, when cattle and horses were introduced to Brazil. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
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