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| You are in: Home > Oruro Carnival |
Oruro Carnival
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Carnival is the happiest and the most enjoyable time of the year in Bolivia. A part of Bolivia’s culture that in its form is truly unique, this gala is celebrated in every corner of the country. Without any doubt Oruro, located in the Bolivian Andean highlands, has one of the most impressive traditional festivals in South America and the world. UNESCO recognized this splendid event in 2001 by declaring the Carnival of Oruro one of Mankind’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (see UNESCO web link below).
Carnival takes place in late February or early March, six weeks before Easter. Male and female participants of all ages begin to assemble their costumes almost a year in advance and dancers start their rehearsals as early as September. This fantastic celebration comes together in a crescendo of brilliant color and boundless energy lasting 3 days and nights. Considered to be the most important of these is the first day’s parade. The parade has a route of 2.5 miles (4 km), where approximately 50 troupes perform traditional, indigenous, regional and ritualistic dances. Among these are the Diablada, Caporales, Morenada, Tinkus, Tobas, Llamerada, Phujllay among many others, each of which tells a story in the history of Bolivia. The troupes are accompanied by large bands consisting of drummers, brass, panpipes and other traditional instruments. Over 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians participate in the procession which lasts approximately 20 hours and it attracts upwards of 400,000 people. The Cathedral of Socavon is the final destination of all dancers and symbolically blends the traditional rituals of Bolivian peoples together with the religion of European colonizers.
Dancers advance to the beat of the music creating a fantastic spectacle of beauty and amazing color. Their costumes and their performance are truly magnificent. Dancing devils represent the custodians of Bolivia’s mines. These “devils” have heavy and well elaborated handmade masks and brilliant clothes accompanied by the beautiful “diablitas” (female devils) with alluringly short skirts who move their hips along with the music to temp the devil and other figures. Ironically, the winged presence Saint Michael the Archangel always leads each troupe dancing the Diablada. The impressive leaping Caporales are accompanied by a strong afro-Bolivian rhythm and represents the foremen who brutally oversaw the gangs of African and Indian laborers during the colonial period. Bells on their costumes jingle with each step and in one hand they carry a whip, a symbol of their harsh power. The Morenada is a cute, coquettish dance which commemorates the sacrifice of African slaves who worked as laborers in the Bolivian mines and later on lowland plantations. Many other wonderful dances express the culture and traditions of Bolivia in a way no other medium can.
The Carnival of Oruro is a highlight of the tourism in Bolivia; it is the best and a fun way to get close to the culture and the background of the country. This is something you shouldn’t miss. Viva Bolivia has a special tour for this event.
See http://www.unesco.org/bpi/intangible_heritage/bolivia.htm for UNESCO’s write-up.
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