The Pink Legend of Boto Rosa , or simply the Legend of Boto, is a legend of indigenous origin that is part of Brazilian folklore. It arose in the Amazon region, from the north of the country.
Legend of Boto Rosa[]
Legend has it that the pink dolphin, an intelligent and dolphin-like animal that lives in the Amazon waters, turns into a beautiful and elegant young man on full moon nights.
Usually he appears in the festivities of June, in the celebrations of the Popular Saints (Santo Antônio, São João and São Pedro), the so-called Festas Juninas.
He comes dressed in white and with a big hat to hide his nostrils, because his transformation does not occur entirely.
Owner of a communicative style, heartthrob and conqueror, the dolphin chooses the most beautiful single girl at the party and takes her to the bottom of the river. There she becomes pregnant and then abandons her.
The next morning he turns into a dolphin again. For this reason, the Legend of the Dolphin is often used to justify pregnancy outside of marriage.
In addition, it is customary to say that "the child is the son of the dolphin" when he is the son of an unknown father.
Boto Rosa Traditions[]
One way to confirm that the men at the party are not the dolphin is to remove their hats in order to certify their identities. In popular Amazonian culture, it is believed that the person who eats the boto meat will be mad and bewitched. Or will turn into a Boto himself.
Movie Ele o Boto[]
The legend of the dolphin became a film in 1987. Directed by Walter Lima Jr. It received the name of Him, the Dolphin.