What is Carnival like in Bolivia?

Readers:

This is a week packed full of notable dates all over the world: Super Tuesday in U.S. politics; Fat Tuesday in New Orleans; Lunar New Year in China, Ash Wednesday in the Catholic faith. And in Bolivia and elsewhere in Latin America this is the end of Carnival.

I am still in the Balkans as I write, so I have missed water balloon warfare back in Bolivia and will miss the day-long parade this Saturday on the street below our office in Cochabamba. Here is a post from The Democracy Center's able Leny Olivera, looking behind the customs of Carnival in Bolivia. Enjoy.

Jim Shultz


What is Carnival like in Bolivia?

Like many holidays in Bolivia, Catholicism has influenced Carnival since the Spanish colonization. Many Andean festivals that originally had other meanings have been replaced or modified and many times other holidays have been imposed on important dates and places to the Andean culture. Because of this, Carnival is actually celebrated in a different way in the cities and the countryside.

Carnival in the cities is celebrated in accordance with the Catholic calendar and begins before Lent – two weeks before the week of Ash Wednesday. The Thursday of the first week of celebrations begins with the festival of the Compadres. Compadres are similar to godfathers in the United States, but their relationships are not only related to baptisms but also weddings, communions and any other important event in someone’s life. In Cochabamba, the compadres have a grand celebration throughout the immense open-air market or cancha, together with their saint Señor de Compadres. Going to the cancha on the day of Compadres is like going to a public party – shopping can be very dangerous as nobody can escape the buckets of water, dye or foam thrown on passersby by the celebrants.

A week later, the festival of the Comadres is celebrated. This is also celebrated in the markets. In each market the comadres have different virgins and saints. The comadres celebrate from mid-day on by closing all the markets. There are only two days all year the markets are closed – both during Carnival. After working more than 12 hours every day of the year, the celebration of Comadres has greater meaning in the markets – the majority of whose vendors are women.

The following Sunday the nonstop week of Carnival begins with the Children’s Parade. During the parade all the children dress up however they want, marching for fun or to enter in competitions – the best costume of the parade wins a prize. The next day, Monday, people in offices get together for a Ch’alla. Broadly, this is a way to celebrate one’s surroundings, in this case the office. In Cochabamba, many people perform a Q’owa, an Andean ritual to give thanks to the Pachamama or mother earth.

Tuesday is called the “Tuesday of Ch’alla” and it is the day that many throughout the country celebrate their homes. From the beginning of this day houses are adorned with streamers, balloons and colorful decorations and a typical dish is prepared. The foods vary according to the region. In Cochabamba the typical plate is puchero. This dish has garbanzos, cabbage, peaches and a special variety of avocado for cooking – all products in abundance in the harvest this time of year in the valley region. The forms of ch’alla vary all over country with everyone doing it in accordance with the customs of their region. In the west, the ch’alla is traditionally done with a ritual of thanks to the Pachamama, in the east the Tuesday of Ch’alla is a more festive day.

On Wednesday another series of ch’allas occur. In this case it is the vendors who celebrate their shops and stalls. This is the second day during Carnival all the markets close from mid-day on. The merchants stop attending to the public in order to ch’alla their places of work. This date is very important for the vendors, as it is the source and inspiration of their work. Observant Catholics also celebrate Ash Wednesday by attending a mass where the Priest places a cross of ashes on their forehead.

In the provincial towns like Tarata, Arbieto, and Arpita in the countryside and high valleys of Cochabamba the Carnival celebration continues Thursday and into the following weekend. In the more removed communities of the altiplano in the departments of La Paz, Oruro, and Potosi, Carnival has a different meaning and is celebrated in a much different way from the city. The dates of Carnival coincide with the agricultural calendar to give thanks for the many products that are harvested and are the sustenance of life. The celebrations are an acknowledgement to the Pachamama. Within the Andean philosophy everything is related to the earth because thanks to her there is life. As a result, there are also musical instruments that are played on important dates during the agricultural calendar. In the time of Carnival for example the tarka, a native instrument originating before the Spanish colonization, is played. It is made from the Tarka tree and is the instrument of great happiness during these dates. In the communities everyone dances to the sound of the tarkas thanking the Pachamama with rituals and joy.

The days of Carnival in Bolivia are more celebrated than any other festivals throughout the year, including Christmas. They last longer than a month with a great cultural diversity across the regions of the country, in the city and the countryside.

Written by Leny Olivera, translated by Elliot Williams