Carnaval--The Dances

Before I went, I mistakenly likened Bolivia’s famous carnival to our own New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. This was an honest mistake because both festivals always occur the weekend right before Lent begins, so I assumed that Carnaval, like Mardi Gras, stemmed from the idea of one last big indulgence before the 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving begins. Although I still suspect a connection, not a single Bolivian, when telling me about the festival, mentioned its connection with Lent. So, who knows?

Carnaval parades take place all over Bolivia, with the most famous and grandiose taking place in Oruro, a city of about 200,000 people in the Altiplano, about midway between Cochabamba and La Paz. During Carnavales, the population explodes to about 400,000 and prices double and triple as well. Hotels and hostels are booked months in advance (which, in a culture where time is usually an afterthought at best and any sort of schedule is a very rough estimate, that is really saying something). Luckily, I have a friend who lives in Oruro, and he and his family graciously offered (practically insisted) that we come and stay with them. Jota, his wife Pati and son Jonas were wonderful hosts, explaining to us the ins and outs of Carnaval, its meaning and history. The cultural heritage of the regions, their music, dances, and costumes is extremely rich, and all the people have a strong national pride. All the dances have a specific origin and history, and the people re-tell the stories with enthusiasm.

All of the dances that we had at the fiestas for the Virgin here in Tiraque back in October were represented in force. Morenadas, Tombas, Tinkus and Caporales were the most common. But there was one exception. The star attraction of Carnaval Oruro, is La Diablada (the Devil’s Dance, roughly). It is a beautiful dance with the most elaborate costumes, and masks in particular (I am sporting one in one of the photos). The story behind it is that it is, roughly, a representation of the ancient battle between Good and Evil, the angels and the devils. Troves of dancer dressed as devils (with masks that are ridiculously heavy—I don’t know how they danced wearing them!) marched down the street, shouting, leaping, with war-like dance steps. In the whole thing, I only saw 3 angels amdist a few thousand devils, so, jokingly, I expressed my doubts about the ability of Good to prevail in this particular rumble. I was quickly reminded, however, that Angels are much more powerful than devils, and so there doesn’t need to be as many. Of course. How could I have forgotten?