Festival de la Virgen de Guadalupe

This is my last post on Sucre, PROMISE!  But we experienced so much there was no way I could fit it into just one post.. or I guess I could, but that would be one very long post!!  On Saturday September 14th we had the honor of witnessing la Festival de la Virgen de Guadalupe!  It is literally an all day event!  It starts at 10am (ish) -- Bolivians aren't really ever on time-- and the route is 6km (3.7miles) and the performers dance the entire way!  The last group starts around 6pm and so when we went out dancing and drinking around 1:30am, the parade was still going!!!  I don't know how they do it, but more power to them!  It is very much a family event, with generations of different families present in each group, or if they aren't directly participating they are carrying water and snacks for the performers.  We watched the parade for about 4 or 5 hours and we didn't even see half of the groups performing! The Macy's Day Parade has nothing on this festival!  Each group was so distinctly different and their dedication to dancing for 6 km (especially the women in their ridiculous heels) shows a lot of devotion and pride for not only the Virgin, but Bolivia as a whole.  The day was so filled with happiness and cheer, people were pulled in to dance with the performers, performers would greet friends they saw on the streets as they passed, it was a wonderful atmosphere and yet another reason why I love Sucre!  I wish I knew every single group that participated because I really would like to know where some of the costumes originated!  And I also want to know more about the history of the groups (yes I'm an anthropology major...) There are some groups that have been dancing in the parade for decades and others that have only just started!  All in all it was incredible to witness (I think I've said that about 6 times), but it truly was an honor to see such a conglomeration of beliefs and people present in one very open, accepting place.  There's no way I can accurately describe all of the dances and costumes, so I'll let the photos do the talking!  Enjoy the conglomeration of culture that is Bolivia:  celebrating the Catholic Virgin in traditional indigenous dress!!

Enter the Virgin
She leads the Parade!

This group is from the Amazon lowlands!

Even the littlest kids have a big role in the festival

The dress is no different for little kids, they wear the same things
their uncles, fathers and grandfathers do!

Hydrating with beer is better than hydrating with water!

This group danced the Macarena -- maybe my favorite part of the whole parade because it was so unexpected!

I love all the colors of these outfits!

That checkered rainbow flag is called a wiphala and is a symbol of the
reaffirmation of Bolivia's pluri-cultural identity and pride!
Many of the indigenous groups incorporated them into their costumes

I loved listening to these groups dance, because the bells
just added a whole new level to the music and dance!

This is our Academic Director Ismael's wife Lupe.
She is very spiritual and danced the 6km because she felt moved to!
I danced about 2 blocks with her, it was great and everyone
cheered the tall gringo and the woman with the sari on! :)

Because wearing high heels wasn't enough of a struggle,
they decided to wear masks as well!

These poor monsters were so overheated!
Most of them had their masks off by the end!

The costumes deconstructed

I loved these little outfits, although I would not love walking in those heels!

This group is also from the Amazon lowlands and they entered behind a few 'shamans'
who used smoke bombs to make their entrance into the Plaza Principal even grander!

Just relaxing after the parade!

The outfits were relatively similar construction wise, but every group had their own distinct color pattern!  So just imagine all these outfits in hundreds more colors and you're practically at the parade!!!  It really was an amazing experience and I'd love to return!  Or maybe venture to Carnival in Oruro.. which is apparently this times 1000... It's a two week event in February and people from all over Bolivia and the world flock to celebrate!  (Think Mardi Gras on steriods!)  Maybe one day...


To dancing in the streets,
Carly