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Have you heard of the carnival of Rio de Janeiro ?

and of the Venice carnival? Of how people sing and dance there. Did you enjoy it?... You’d like more? Then listen to the story of the Carnival of Oruro ...

Saturday, February 21st in Oruro,

Bolivian town in the middle of the Altiplano. Over 30,000 dancers pace the streets, proud ambassadors of the Bolivian youth. Meanwhile, spectators fight in the stands. On both sides, the most audacious fight with water pistols and firecrackers. The most exposed are reduced to fend for themselves with umbrellas against the raids of shaving cream and other arms particular to this festival.

And if you are unfortunate enough to find yourselves near the stands,

located along all the main streets of the colonial town, you become a priced target for the "snipers" located on the balconies. No one shows up at the carnival of Oruro without it’s Poncho and umbrella... Of course, when the dancers show up, the projectiles stop to leave room for them, the kings of the festival.
The parade starts on Saturday morning. Each participant wears a costume in which he spent a good part of his savings. One of these very sophisticated costume costs in fact a fortune and countless hours of work. Just by looking at the proud look in the participants eyes, one can easily guess.

Each group represents a region or an ethnic group of Bolivia

and is made of a few hundred dancers, which demostrate the culture of the region; of course, we see here the most beautiful specimens of the Bolivian youth. The eldest form the fanfare at the rear of the procession. They give the impression of being the happiest of the band, so communicative is their joy. Dressed with the same customs and ties, they keep on playing tirelessly the rhythms of the Altiplano, with they trumpets and drums. A simple two-step rhythm rules the various dances.

The best-known groups are those of the Altiplano

and of its principal cities: Oruro, La Paz, Potosi and Cochabamba.
The "caporale" is a specialty of La Paz. The costumes of the men refer to the Spanish bullfighters. The goal is in fact to caricature the Spanish Conquistadores while showing the wealth of Andean traditions. Wide shoulder pads, a tons of sequin, hats and large boots on which are attached bells, moving simultaneously to every drum beat, when the heavy boots hit the tarmac. The dance is virile, sportive, truly vibrant.
The women dance, is based on a hip movement making their skirts fly level with their waist, discovering thus their superb legs. Their costume is as ornate as the one of their masculine conterpart. Just as the dance of the men and their costume are virile, the ones of the women accentuate femininity, charm, and grace.

Bands coming for all the regions of the country are present.

After the "caporales", come the "Guaranis", representing Béni, the tropical part of Bolivia. They strongly contrast with the previous "caporales". The physic of the dancers, is even different: they are Indians from the Amazonian regions. Small and agile, they present the public with a dance made by successive jumps and wide movement of the arms and the trunk. Often, they are bare chest, simply dressed of feathers and wide fringed belts. Their disguise alludes to the North American Indians. In fact, the origin of these communities is a mix between South and North American Indians. Their dance is surely the most strenuous of all, especially considering that coming from the low lands, they are nor accustomed to Oruro’s 4000 meters of elevation! .
The bands from the province of Potosi constitute an indispensable ingredient of the carnival. Nothing in common with the blunt pride of the "caporales"; here, primes good humor, melodious chants and flowing in opposition to staccato dances. They turn, run and mix in a concert of colors and sounds. Their costume is very unique: lots of strips of fabric and fringes of all colors attached to their belts. With their sandals, they mark the rhythm while one of them always screams an enthusiastic encouragement "Vamos, aaiiiiiii!". Here, men and women are mixed, unlike typical Latin bands, maybe because of their Aymara and Quechua origins running deeper in the populations of the area of Potosi.

But this is just to give you an idea.

Because each region of Bolivia brings its rhythm, colors and traditions to the event. And for the pleasure of all, Bolivia is extremely rich in diversity be it in regards to its scenery of its population. During the carnival of Oruro we find, side by side, Bolivians from the Altiplano, Guaranis from the Amazon Basin, Bolivians from the Oriente and the Yungas, as well as communities constituting the rich cultural patrimony of the country.
Sometimes, between two "official" troops, dance informal groups, friends disguised as Frankestein or other monster, improvising dances and shows. Regardless of their obvious success, they are not spared by the ones throwing water...
Everyone has a good time here: the grown ups, the elders and the small ones; everyone finds entertainment. The carnival of Oruro is a true gigantic festival....
The public is thrilled, it is an integral part of the show, it claps, beats the rhythm of the orchestra, sings but most and foremost it motivates the dancers.

Because to travel the 5-mile stretch covered by confetti, it takes the valorous participant about 10 hours of effort. They will be exhausted but happy when they finally reach the Sokavon, meeting place for all the bands. There, all the fanfares will give free expression to their joy. Then, one at a time, the dancers will head to church to thank God or la Pachamama, Mother Earth, and pray for love and fidelity.
Despite their exhaustion and the night, the celebration continues as the participants must return to their homes for a more intimate celebration with the family. And when they will have enough of dancing, drinking and singing, someone will remind them that no one must sleep during the carnival... and anyway, it will already be time for them to dress their superb costume again and to join the rest of the dancers at the Sokavon, at around 4 a.m.

The meeting at the Sokavon in the middle of the night

is the most intense time of the carnival. All the bands play at the same time. The fanfares mix, couples form to dance a "cueca", traditional Bolivian dance where the man seduce his partner using a handkerchief that he swings from his hand.
At around 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, and despite the bags under the eyes and the revolted stomachs, the carnival starts again. On the same path as the day before, new dancers, new bands, and the joy spreads again over the whole city.
Oruro is the center of the carnival but only the center. At the same time in all the cities of Bolivia, in all the villages of the Altiplano, and in each house, the carnival is present. The entire country forgets about its worries, the slim harvest… For three days it is a huge party and nothing can stop it. This is so true that in 1879, during the invasion of the Bolivian coast by the Chilean army, the adversary didn’t encounter any resistance for two days. They progressed over 100 kilometers without having to fire! The attack happened in the height of the carnival and the Bolivian army was incapable of mobilizing any of its soldiers. On this day, Bolivia lost its access to the ocean. The country still continues claiming its right today. This may seem hard to believe but once we have witnessed a carnival, this interesting part of History becomes totally plausible.
Bolivians forget everything for a week. So much that no one seem to be surprised by the yearly demographic boom, occurring more or less 9 months after February 21st! And as far as the name of the fathers, a lot have the same: "pepino", in other words “the local guy” !

But in reality, everything starts long before February 21st.

the opening occurs in fact on January 24th, the "Alasitas", other gigantic religious festival originating with the Aymara legend of Ekeko.
The "Alasitas", meaning "buy me" in Aymara, is a meeting place for thousands and thousand of craftsmen, which, thanks to their skillful hands, fabricate miniatures objects that will be sold during the event
For the Aymaras, coming to the festival means dreaming of the house they will one day build, of the money they will one day possess, in brief they buy objects in the hope that their dreams, materialized in these miniatures, will become reality...

The blessing of January 24th noon legitimizes this conviction.

The custom calls for the blessing of the objects purchased, like an agreement with the gods. A concert of illusions where everyone thinks of his dreams: the house, the healed disease, the diploma, the car, love.
What could be better than dreaming to all the possibilities hands filled with miniature $ bills, plane tickets… while drinking a hot "api", a local corn based drink, and eating a cheese “empanada”?
And all this happens under the protection of the infallible Ekeko, so that bread, oil and sardines may never lack in the families and so the sacred coca may guide their steps.

The Ekeko is popular, generous and understanding.

Its face shows happiness; its mustache the sincerity of its smile. He wears a hat in the style of the Mallkas, and sandals to show its Andean origin. In the Ekeko, we find the totality of the creative capacity of the people of La Paz, spreading his faith to the upper class turning the "Alasitas" into a friendship experience where some give and some receive.
More than just a folkloric event, the "Alasitas" is a vital element of the Andean-Aymara and mixed culture of La Paz. It is an indispensable festival, without which the year would not be complete. The festival of the Alasitas has various origins but the common denominator is the hope of the realization of ones dream thanks to the Ekeko. It is a return to younger years when one could freely imagine his dreams becoming reality.
But simultaneously to the closing ceremony of the "Alasitas", hostilities start again. You will rapidly become aware of this. If you just take the example of going to do a short jog in the streets of La Paz early in the morning. A water bomb thrown from a roof or from a minibus will wake you up in a hurry! The risks rise as you approach the D day, February 21st, date of the carnival in the whole world. Hard to imagine this in NY: all the pedestrians dressed with a raincoat and an umbrella, all car windows closed, under a scorching sun...?!

The carnival doesn’t stop on February 21st either.

The Tuesday after the carnival is dedicated to "Charla ", which is to say the baptism of all and everything. Each one must baptize with water or alcohol all the possessions that are dear to him: his car, his house, himself, his kids, his friends. The biggest fear is to forget something in case something happens to it during the year, the neglect would then be responsible.
What impresses more than anything, is the good humor, the happiness spreading during the festival. The country parties for entire days, without a break.
Without aggressiveness, having fun whatever the skies may be. One month of craziness, celebrating its gods, its family, imagining its dream coming true. In Bolivia, the party goes on...

Fabrice Pawlak, terra andina