Happy birthday, John Travolta! The screen icon turns 71 on February 18, and will likely be spending the big day jet setting with his two kids, daughter Ella and son Benjamin.
It’s unclear where his private plane will take him this year, but last year he took off for Brazil, spending some time exploring the sights and relaxing by the beach.
However, there’s more to Brazil for John than being a tourist destination, as it happens to be the site of an annual tradition for his birthday that has carried on for nearly four decades.
The historic city of Olinda in Pernambuco, Brazil has hosted a lavish carnival for many decades, and since 1979, one of their central highlights has been a large puppet of none other than John Travolta himself.
Since 1979, a 12-foot puppet of the actor, called a “boneco,” has paraded through the streets of the Brazilian city in during their four-day carnival in February, which coincides with his birthday.
For years, the puppet has worn a white and blue bedazzled blazer with matching blue flared pants with a turtleneck and sparkly sash with his name emblazoned across, complete with a coiffed hairdo that is meant to evoke John’s appearance in the 1977 classic Saturday Night Fever.
Not only is the puppet already prepped to be paraded this year, but it has become a merchandising and business tool for the city, which has branded its annual parade after the actor itself.
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Last year, after sharing some outtakes from his visit to Brazil, where he finally happened to catch the festivities, John wrote on social media: “My trip to Brazil to celebrate my birthday. Also to thank ‘Olinda Brazil’ which yearly dedicates a carnival to me! I thank you my friends!!”
© Instagram/T.C.M. John TravoltaHundreds of other bonecos parade down the streets during the carnival, with many of them also pop culture themed, such as Freddie Mercury, Donald Trump and David Bowie.
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Silvio Botelho created the puppet back in the ’70s on a request from seven local boys who had just watched Saturday Night Fever, having created more than 1300 bonecos over the years with his team. “I created a culture,” he shared with the New York Times last year.
© Getty ImagesCityfolk wear shirts with the actor’s name on it, drink from mugs with his name and sing some of the hits from his biggest films, even chanting (in Portuguese): “John Travolta is really cool. Throwing a great party. And in Olinda, the best carnival.”
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While the puppet makers shared with the publication that they had tried to reach the actor himself for years, they never heard back. However, the Grease star is a certified fan of the tradition.
“Your music, your dance and your passion fills me with a feeling of completeness!” he shared as a message for the people of Olinda with NYT. “I am proud and honored to be the icon of your carnival! It makes me so happy! Love always, John Travolta.”
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