004 – Olinda, giants and bonecos together at carnival

Olinda and Recife (Pernambuco, Brazil) · February 2002

Route doneOur ownGiantsTourist

A sea of people on the ladeiras of Olinda and Luciana Santos coming out from under the giant

Photo on the left: Raul / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

▶ Watch it on video

Four moments from the 2002 trip, and the full video on YouTube.

Olinda, with few people

Olinda, the madness

Olinda, the people

In Recife

👉 Full video «Olinda, year 2002» on YouTube (channel of the Geganters de Vallgorguina)

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2Introduction

It all began with a few contacts with Hilário, head of the Troça Carnavalesca Barbapapa of Olinda. When we saw the atmosphere there, we got excited about going ahead with the exchange, with all the infrastructure it needed, above all to take the giants there in a container. About 25 of us went, members of the Geganters de Vallgorguina and guests, in February 2002.

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The house where we stayed, with the banner «Os Geganters de Vallgorguina agradecem a acolhida olindense» and the bruixot and the Avi Montassell at the windows © Jaume López Puigbó

Bonecos in the street: this is what we went to experience © Ramon Saumell

Even now, when we close our eyes, there is a corner of our brain called «memories of Olinda»: no need to password-protect it, because it is indelible, minute by minute. Even so, some things cannot be conveyed: the feelings of personal contact, the friendships we made there… the sheer wow of it all.

Welcome party: the gathering of all the music groups that would take part in the carnival © Ramon Saumell

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4Where is Olinda?

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Olinda is in the state of Pernambuco, in north-east Brazil, only 7 km from Recife, the state capital. Its historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982: cobbled streets that climb and drop (the ladeiras), baroque churches, coloured houses and hills that look out over the Atlantic.

Everyday atmosphere © Jaume López Puigbó

How we got there

The group, by plane with TAP: Barcelona – Lisbon – Recife. About 6,700 km and, today, around 13 hours of travel including the stopover.
The giants, in a 5-metre container for our exclusive use: we loaded and sealed it in Vallgorguina, it went by truck to the port of Barcelona, by ship to Salvador de Bahia (about 45 days) and from there by truck to Olinda (about 800 km).

Loading the container with the giants, on their way to Brazil © Dolors Truñó Travesa

From Recife airport (Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre) to Olinda it is about 18 km: 25 to 35 minutes by taxi or ride-hailing. With luggage, better not to take the bus.

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5Itinerary and stops

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Many things stayed on our retina like slides. This is the thread of the days, as we remember them.

Day 1 · Early February · Arrival

It was already dark when we reached Recife and we saw little: a bit of leg-stretching, a friendly dinner with our Olinda hosts and off to rest after the long journey, as the jet lag was starting to show.

Day 2 · The giants go out into the street

We went to collect the giants, who were already waiting for us assembled in the exhibition hall, where they had also laid out the material we had sent in the container: paintings and other objects, for the exhibition «Del mundo de los gigantes». From there, the three giants (the Avi Montassell and the two giants of Gualba, which we had on loan) paraded to the Prefeitura, accompanied by more than a hundred musicians from the frevo bands that were already enlivening the streets ahead of the wild days to come.

At the Prefeitura we were received by the mayor, Luciana Santos, who years later would become a minister in Lula da Silva's government. And she got carried away: she wanted to carry the bruixot, she who had never carried any giant, not even one from Olinda. We have the proof in the photos!

Speeches at the door of the Town Hall © Jaume López Puigbó

The reception at the Prefeitura, in 2002 © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The mayor carries the bruixot © Ramon Saumell

And here is the proof: Luciana Santos coming out from under the giant © Ramon Saumell

Last touches before going out into the street © Ramon Saumell

The same day we watched the traditional cleaning of the streets, before the revelry began.

Cleaning the streets before carnival © Dolors Truñó Travesa

Another day · Itamaracá Island · «The trap»

Early in the morning we left for Itamaracá Island, about 50 km to the north, to visit Forte Orange, the fort the Dutch built in 1631 right by the sea (what you see today is the Portuguese reconstruction), and to enjoy a good lunch of freshly caught fish. The streets of Olinda were calm, like those of a medium-sized town; we might almost say there were «few people». On the way back, however, the trap was waiting for us (see the Anecdotes).

On the way to Itamaracá Island © Dolors Truñó Travesa

Itamaracá, near the beach © Jaume López Puigbó

Carnival Saturday · Recife: the Galo da Madrugada

Parade with the giants at the Galo da Madrugada, in Recife, between stands full of people and passing beside the giant rooster standing on the Duarte Coelho bridge. When we passed, the crowd went wild and, with one roar, rose to its feet. What applause!

The giants under the Galo da Madrugada © Jaume López Puigbó

The carnival days · Olinda

The party in the street, among blocos, frevo orchestras and giant bonecos. That is why we were there: the Encontro dos Bonecos Gigantes, with about two hundred bonecos through the streets of the Sítio Histórico. Constant revelry. And on carnival Tuesday, the great parade: the Olinda bonecos with their «international guests from Spain», through the streets of the town to the front of the Palácio dos Governadores. The press reported it!

And we are in the middle! Newspaper clipping: «Bonecos gigantes espanhóis (de preto) se encontram, em Olinda, como alegorias de Pernambuco» Foto: Ormuzd Alves / Folha Imagem

About ten days after arriving, back to Recife airport and home.

Stops

Prefeitura de Olinda · R. de São Bento, 123, Varadouro — where the mayor received us. 📍 -8.018339, -34.852332
Alto da Sé — Olinda's viewpoint: the whole town at your feet and Recife in the distance. Crafts, travelling painters and tapioca stalls. 📍 -8.013978, -34.849701
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo — from 1613, rebuilt in 1644; Portuguese colonial baroque, white façade and two bell gables. 📍 -8.011817, -34.853552
Casa dos Bonecos Gigantes · R. Bispo Coutinho, 780, Carmo — the bonecos museum. It did not yet exist in 2002: a visit we recommend today. 📍 -8.012996, -34.850876
The house where we stayed — near the Pousada dos Quatro Cantos, on one of the main streets of the revelry.
Duarte Coelho Bridge, Recife — where the giant rooster of the Galo da Madrugada is set up. 📍 -8.062402, -34.881044
Forte Orange, Itamaracá Island — Dutch fort from 1631 facing the Atlantic. 📍 -7.810366, -34.839090
Recife airport (Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre) 📍 -8.128739, -34.925853

Anecdotes

House numbering. In many countries in the Americas, addresses used to be given like this: «from the corner of the sports hall, the fourth house on the left». I don't know if that is still so. In Pernambuco they were, or are, more modern: they numbered the houses as they were built. So in one street you could find number 27, 89, 12 and 192. Madness!

Food by weight. Another surprising thing, which is now found in more places: the «comida a quilo». You paid by weight. Whether it was potatoes, beef or rice, you chose, put it on your plate and at the till they weighed it: the same price whatever it was. Unbelievable.

The trap. The day we went to Itamaracá, the streets of Olinda were calm. On the way back, from Recife a crowd of people on foot poured towards Olinda and brought everything to a standstill, like the return from a weekend, but on foot. They told us that about 600,000 people were coming in at those hours.

The Avi's jacket. In the heat of Olinda, we bearers had the idea of taking the corduroy jacket off the Avi Montassell: we took his arms off at the elbow, removed the jacket and put the arms back in place. Officially, so that he would not sweat. The truth is that we did it to lighten our load. By the way, since the trip to Santiago in the year 2000, the Avi has worn the pilgrim's scallop shell hanging from his neck.

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6Map and QR

Two maps for Google Maps: one with the stops in Olinda and another with the airport, Recife and Itamaracá. Tap the QR with your phone or open the link.

Olinda
Prefeitura → Alto da Sé → Igreja do Amparo → Casa dos Bonecos Gigantes

Open the map ↗

Recife and Itamaracá
Airport → Duarte Coelho bridge → Forte Orange

Open the map ↗

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7Giants and bonecos

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The exchange was born from looking at pictures on the internet and swapping messages with Hilário. From there to the proposal it was only a step.

The Prefeitura of Olinda, on Rua de São Bento © Jaume López Puigbó

Preparing the packing to put the giants in the container was the work of the whole group, and a lot of it. Finding them again in Olinda, already assembled by our friends, was a pleasant surprise and a heartfelt joy.

Then, in the streets, the mingling with the people and the bonecos was unforgettable! But we had to be careful: the bonecos do not have a stand and the crowd threw themselves at us. Crashing into the bearers' legs, they put the giants and those carrying them in danger.

Where each comes from

Without ruling out older precedents that were never documented, the European giants and the bonecos of Olinda have the same origin, religious processions, but have gone towards opposite festivals: here, solemnity and local identity; there, the satire and revelry of carnival.

With the information we have today, the first documented giant on the peninsula appears in the Corpus procession in Barcelona in 1424.
In 1780, Charles III banned giants from processions; they survived in popular festivals.
In Brazil, in 1919, in Belém do São Francisco (the sertão of Pernambuco), Gumercindo Pires de Carvalho created the Zé Pereira, inspired by a Belgian priest who described what processions with giants were like in Europe. In 1929 the Vitalina was added.
In 1932 the Homem da Meia-Noite (the Midnight Man) was born in Olinda, the most famous boneco, which still opens the carnival.

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8The Carnival of Olinda and Recife

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The Carnival of Olinda is the anti-Rio. It has no sambadrome and no expensive tickets: it is a street carnival, one hundred per cent popular, in a colonial city in north-east Brazil. It is considered one of the most popular and colourful festivals in the country.

Strolling through the historic centre, already in carnival mood © Dolors Truñó Travesa

It is held in February or March, in the days before Lent. Officially it lasts five days, but in practice the city has been partying for weeks. In 2002 it began on Saturday 9 February, and in 2027 it will begin on Saturday 6 February.

What makes it so special? Unlike Rio or Salvador, here everything happens in the street and is free. There are no closed parades or exclusive areas: the party belongs to the people and is for the people, and anyone can join in.

The bois, with their skirts of coloured strips, always surrounded by people © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The giant bonecos: papier-mâché figures (although lately many are fibreglass) 3 and 4 metres tall, carried on the shoulders, with the head and without the stand we carry ourselves. They are the symbol of Olinda. They represent politicians, artists and local characters, and parade among the crowd.
The music is not samba, it is frevo, a very fast rhythm, with trumpets and trombones, danced by jumping with a small sombrinha. UNESCO declared it Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. Maracatu and afoxé are also heard a lot.
The blocos: neighbourhood orchestras and groups that come out with their own themes. You don't watch the parade: you are part of it. You dress up, dance behind the band and go up and down the ladeiras.

Since it is next to Recife, it forms the Recife–Olinda circuit. Recife has the Galo da Madrugada, which since 1994 has held the Guinness record for the largest carnival bloco in the world.

In figures (carnival 2026)

Olinda: about 4 million people, more than 400 orchestras and 200 attractions in 9 official hubs (Prefeitura figures).
Galo da Madrugada (Recife): about 2.5 million people in a single day.
Security in Olinda: more than 7,000 officers and 154 cameras. We already noticed it in 2002: lots of police and soldiers on patrol.

In short: if the Rio carnival is a show to watch, Olinda's is a party to get lost in. You put on an improvised costume, join a bloco and end up dancing frevo among giants until you can't any more.

The crowd, in pictures

The figures are not fully understood until you see it. These three photos are not ours: they are from other Olinda carnivals, from Wikimedia Commons, with a free licence and the author's credit. But it is exactly what we lived.

Bonecos in the crowd. The bonecos advance above a sea of heads. Carnival 2006. Foto: Prefeitura de Olinda / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

At night, in front of the Prefeitura. The party does not stop when the sun goes down: the square full in front of the Town Hall, where they received us in 2002. Foto: Passarinho / Prefeitura de Olinda, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Some of our souvenirs of Olinda

Coming back from Olinda empty-handed was impossible. None of these pieces has much monetary value, but behind each one there are many feelings: who gave it to us, where we found it, what we lived that day. We still have them at home, in the display cabinet, and every time we walk past, we are back there:

The Barbapapa plate and the Barbapapa painting, with the houses of Olinda behind.
The little painting of the church on the easel, painted by one of the travelling painters of the Alto da Sé, where Hilário's sister also lives.
The frevo mask and sombrinha.
Olinda carved in wood, with the lighthouse and the coloured houses.
The Avi Montassell carved in wood and the big-head figure of the Galo.
The clay bois, the clay nativity scene, the carnival figurines and the maracatu group: Pernambuco's clay crafts.

The Barbapapa plate, made by Yara © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The Barbapapa painting © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The little painting of the church on the easel © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The frevo mask and sombrinha © Dolors Truñó Travesa

Olinda carved in wood, with the lighthouse © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The Avi Montassell carved in wood and the big-head figure of the Galo © Dolors Truñó Travesa

The clay nativity scene © Jaume López Puigbó

The carnival figurines © Dolors Truñó Travesa

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9Gallery

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More photos of the trip.

**Streets of Olinda** · The carnival of Olinda is not watched: you have to live it from inside. © Thales Galhardo

**Pure revelry** · The streets of the Sítio Histórico packed to bursting at the height of carnival. © Thales Galhardo

**In the middle of the crowd** · We are somewhere in the middle here, among thousands of foliões. © Thales Galhardo

**A Burra do Rosário** · One of the troças that parade at the carnival of Olinda. © Thales Galhardo

**The Barbapapa at the window** · The giant Barbapapa leans out of the window of the house where we stayed, on one of the main streets of the revelry. © Jaume López Puigbó

**The white Boi** · The classic white Boi with red muzzle and black horns, hung on the wall of the atelier when it is not in the street. On the right, a mask of Mateus, the character who always accompanies the Boi. © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**The Dragão do Eu Acho é Pouco (1991)** · The legendary daytime carnival photo: the yellow and red dragon of the bloco Eu Acho é Pouco crosses Rua da Sé above the crowd. © Thales Galhardo

**Reception at the Prefeitura** · The official reception at the Town Hall with the mayor, Luciana Santos. © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**With Hilário** · With Hilário, head of the Troça Barbapapa, and a man carrying a Chinese dragon figure (we don't know who he was or where he came from). © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**The giants arrive** · The giants arriving from the exhibition hall where they had been kept. © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**The Galo da Madrugada** · The giant rooster set up, as is tradition, on the Duarte Coelho bridge in Recife. We paraded there with the giants.

**Olinda from the Alto da Sé** · The rooftops of Olinda among palm trees, seen from the viewpoint. © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**Coming down from the Alto da Sé** · The group coming down the ladeiras. © Jaume López Puigbó

**Igreja do Amparo** · Portuguese colonial baroque: white façade and two bell gables. © Jaume López Puigbó

**Encontro dos Bonecos Gigantes** · That is why we were there: the gathering of Olinda's giant bonecos, about two hundred, more or less.

**The Avi and the bruixot** · The Avi Montassell and the bruixot watching the carnival from the window. © Jaume López Puigbó

**João de Julião** · The legendary craftsman of Olinda, at home, with two of his hand-made papier-mâché masks. One of the fathers of the Olinda carnival as we know it. © Thales Galhardo

**Menina da Tarde** · The most famous giant doll in Olinda at that time: blond wig, enormous blue bow and crossed sash. © Thales Galhardo

**Carnival 2014 poster** · A reminder that Olinda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carnival 2014 poster

**Cartaz do Carnaval de Olinda 2002** · The official poster of the year we went: «Patrimônio Mundial · A melhor festa popular de rua do mundo». Clipping from the time

**The classic view** · All of Olinda at your feet from the Alto da Sé: red rooftops, the Carmo church, the reefs and, in the distance, the skyscrapers of Recife. © Dolors Truñó Travesa

**A book to learn more** · «Os Gigantes Foliões em Pernambuco», by Olímpio Bonald Neto: the history of Pernambuco's giant bonecos. Book cover

**Cidade Alta, 1980s** · A two-storey colonial house with balconies decked with orange and yellow fringes, full of people in costume. © Thales Galhardo

**The guests from Spain** · Newspaper clipping: the Avi Montassell and the bruixot among the streamers; the caption announces the carnival Tuesday parade to the Palácio dos Governadores. Foto: Teresa Maia

**The headquarters of the Mulher do Dia (1984)** · The house of the bloco Mulher do Dia. © Thales Galhardo

**The Boi (Bumba Meu Boi)** · A giant papier-mâché ox, with a frame that a person climbs inside. It is one of the classic characters of Olinda, together with the Ursa (the bear) and the Bonecos Gigantes. © Ramon Saumell

**A street full of people** · A street in the Sítio Histórico decked with coloured fringes and packed to bursting. © Ramon Saumell

Photos: © Dolors Truñó Travesa, except where indicated. Those from the 1980s and 1990s and from 2007-2008, © Thales Galhardo.

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10Where to eat and sleep

Our case

We stayed in a private house near the Pousada dos Quatro Cantos, right in the Sítio Histórico. During carnival many people in Olinda leave their homes and rent them out whole, or by the room, to make a bit of money those days.

If you want to go

Houses and rooms for carnival: today they can be found on Airbnb and OLX. Prices vary a lot and «everything is negotiable»: there are listings of more than 30,000 R$ for a large house for the whole carnival. You must book many months ahead. We have not found any body that manages these rentals.
Outside carnival, Olinda has many pousadas in the historic centre.

Sources: Airbnb and OLX, consulted in October 2026; Diario de Pernambuco.

Where to eat

We have not been there: these are suggestions from other sources (essemundoenosso.com.br).

Oficina do Sabor · R. do Amparo, 335 · coloured house with a terrace and sea view.

Beijupirá · R. Saldanha Marinho, Alto da Sé · seafood and fish.

Olinda Art & Grill · R. Bispo Coutinho, 35, Carmo · local dishes with a view of Recife.

Casa de Noca · R. Bertioga, 243 · a single dish: cassava with carne de sol and coalho cheese.

Alto da Sé: the tapioca stalls in the street. And, of course, the «comida a quilo» (see the Anecdotes).

Yara, in love with birds

Yara Nóbrega, an Olinda native, paints birds and also carves them in wood; her exhibition is called «Passarinhando» (acrylic paintings on canvas). One of her favourite themes is what she calls «comida»: a father or mother feeding the chick. She has sent us four works, and we share them here with her permission.

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Bird feeding its chick, painted on a ceramic plate — **Comida** · Acrylic ink on a ceramic plate. «Gosto muito deste tema que chamo de comida», Yara tells us. © Yara Nóbrega

Bird feeding its chick, painting on canvas with a bamboo frame — **Comida, on canvas** · Acrylic on canvas, with a bamboo frame sewn onto the hardboard. © Yara Nóbrega

Bird feeding its chick, painted on a tile — **The same theme, on a tile** · Painted on an azulejo. © Yara Nóbrega

Wooden sculpture of birds feeding their chick — **Comida em família** · Wooden sculpture with acrylic paint. © Yara Nóbrega

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11Budget

As on all giant-carrying trips, the Geganters de Vallgorguina paid their own travel to the destination airport, and the host group covered all expenses until they took us back to the airport, including some sightseeing.

If you go on your own, roughly (October 2026 prices, per person):

Item	Guide
Flight Barcelona – Recife with TAP (via Lisbon)	from about €850 return off-season; for carnival, quite a bit more
Accommodation for carnival	very variable (see «Where to eat and sleep»); sharing a house, the price per person drops a lot
Food	the «comida a quilo» and tapioca are the cheapest way
Taxi or ride-hailing airport – Olinda	price to be checked (see «How we got there»)

Rough estimates, October 2026. Check prices before booking.

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12Weather and tips

Season. Carnival time, in February or March. It is warm all year (around 30 °C by day); heavy rains come from April to July. When we were there, it rained little.

Forecast. Weather and wind: Windy ↗. There are no webcams of the historic centre.

Safety. During carnival there is a very large police presence. Even so, the usual: few valuables on you and your phone well tucked away in the crowd.

Footwear. Comfortable: the ladeiras are cobbled and steep.

Birds. We have no observations of our own. In Recife and Olinda the following are common: the bem-te-vi, which says its name all day, and the sabiá-laranjeira, the national bird of Brazil. Lists and observation points on eBird:

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13Nearby

In Olinda almost everything is by bike; on foot, the Sítio Histórico is done without a set route. Wikiloc routes:

Before setting out, check the distance and difficulty of each route.

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14Sources, links and phone numbers

Prefeitura de Olinda (olinda.pe.gov.br): carnival, figures and security.
Galo da Madrugada: 2026 figures (Poder360).
Brasil de Fato (07/10/2022): origin of the giant bonecos in the sertão of Pernambuco.
UNESCO: Historic Centre of Olinda (1982) and frevo (2012).
Forte Orange: Portuguese Wikipedia.
Restaurants: essemundoenosso.com.br. Rentals: Airbnb, OLX, Diario de Pernambuco.
Flights: TAP Air Portugal.
To learn more: Olímpio Bonald Neto, Os Gigantes Foliões em Pernambuco.

Useful phone numbers (Brazil)

Police	190
Ambulance (SAMU)	192
Fire brigade	193

From a foreign mobile they are dialled the same way, without a prefix.

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Want to see more giants from around the world?Open research on festive giants worldwide: history, forms and places. A 100rutas.com project.Open altigran.org →

Music: «Frevo de Claude» and «Maracatu de Claude» (they play one after the other, on a loop)

Jaume López Puigbó · info@100rutas.com · Trip made in February 2002 · Updated: 10/11/2026