Oruro Carnival
The Carnival of Oruro ( Spanish Carnaval de Oruro ) is a religious festival that is held in honor of the "Virgen del Socavon" (Virgin of the mining tunnels); Elements of the pre-Columbian religions of the indigenous peoples of the highlands live on in it. It takes place annually and is one of the main tourist attractions in Bolivia . Oruro Carnival was inscribed by UNESCO in 2001 on the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity , and in 2008 it was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . In 2014, 350,000 people came to Oruro for the carnival.
procedure
Every year the carnival on Maundy Thursday is ushered in with the autochthonous carnival of the Anata Andino , in which mainly indigenous people take part. Here one thanks the Pachamama and the Achachilas ( deities who are responsible for wind, rain, ice etc. and who live in the mountains) for the harvest of last year and again asks for a good harvest for the coming year (roughly comparable to the Thanksgiving ).
The actual Oruro Carnival begins on the Saturday before Shrove Monday (Shrove Saturday) and lasts three days. The dance groups start near the bus station in Oruro and end their parade in a church, the Iglesia del Socavon . The move has a length of approx. 3 km. Only those who are a member of a conjunto (dance group or brotherhood) are allowed to take part in the parade through the city.
On the first day (Saturday) there is explicitly dancing for the Virgen del Socavón (Virgin of the mine tunnels ). Many participants swear to her to take part in the carnival for at least three years in order to ask for something from her in return. Some participants have participated in the carnival every year for their entire life.
On the second day (Sunday) you dance for Dios Momo , the god of fun. The organization on this day is more relaxed. a. The consumption of alcohol is also permitted (which is actually forbidden on Saturday).
The Monday of Carnival ( Rose Monday ) is exclusively dedicated to the Diablada and Morenada . The conjuntos meet on this day in front of the square at the church. They dance into the church and say goodbye to the Virgin. Here they ask for strength and success for the coming year and thank you for your support. In the evening, each group celebrates a party for itself, which is organized by a selected member (pasante) of the group (a different one every year). There an image of the virgin is given to the new pasante , who "looks after" it until the next year.
organization
The Oruro Carnival is organized by the ACFO, the Asociacion de Conjuntos del Folklore de Oruro (Association of Oruro Folklore Dance Groups ). It determines the starting order of the dance groups, evaluates their appearance and sets sanctions in the event of violations of the club rules (e.g. if a dance group moves too slowly). Such sanctions can lead to a postponement to the last starting place.
48 dance groups are currently taking part in the carnival. They dance 18 different dances, u. a. Diablada , Morenada , Caporales , Tobas , Tinku , Phujllay etc. The starting order is determined by the ACFO. On Saturday this essentially corresponds to the founding date of the individual dance groups.
Other events as part of the carnival
Two other events are related to the carnival:
The "festival de bandas" (brass music festival) takes place even before the start (usually two to three weeks beforehand). All the musicians from all the brass bands who accompany the dance groups with music during the carnival stand together to play some pieces of music (including the Bolivian national anthem, the hymn of Oruro, etc.). Then there is a competition and the best brass band is chosen. Around 3,000 to 4,000 musicians take part in this festival.
On the morning of Carnival Sunday around four o'clock, all the music bands (bandas) of the participating dance groups meet on the square in front of the church for Saludo al Sol (greeting to the sun), which is also called el Alba . With the rising sun, all music groups start playing the melody of their dance group at the same time. Since each group has a different melody, you can only make out a certain melody if you stand in front of one of these "bandas".
Economic impact
Getting to and from Oruro is twice as expensive as usual at this time of year, and seats on the buses sell out well in advance. Hotels and pensions are booked out months in advance. Jobs are also created by the production of the typical, artistically shaped and ornate giant plaster masks in the form of devil's faces.
Accidents
Bridge collapse in 2014
Under the strain of spectators, a bridge in Oruro collapsed on March 1, 2014 and fell on a music group. In this accident, 5 people died and dozen were injured. According to government information, a total of 75 people died at the carnival in Bolivia in the days up to March 6, 2014; 15 of them due to acts of violence, 37 due to traffic accidents and 23 due to other accidents. 350,000 people came to the Oruro Carnival alone.
Gas explosion
On February 10, 2018, there was an explosion at a mobile food stand on the edge of the move that was heated with liquid gas, killing 6 people.
See also
Web links
- official website of the ACFO (Spanish)
References and comments
- ↑ http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00003
- ↑ http://orf.at/#/stories/2220946/ 75 dead at Carnival in Bolivia, ORF.at from March 6, 2014
- ↑ http://orf.at//stories/2220946/ 75 dead at Carnival in Bolivia, ORF.at from March 6, 2014
- ↑ Gas explosion at Carnival in Bolivia kills six people orf.st, February 11, 2018, accessed February 11, 2018.