Last Monday marked the beginning of Alasita, the festival of ‘abundance’ in Bolivia.
Alasita is similar to Christmas in many ways, the only difference being that the gifts you buy are – literally – one hundredth of their actual size. In La Paz, people pack the streets and markets to buy anything and everything in miniature: cars, houses, shops, money, mobile phones, computers, you name it. Owning these things in miniature supposedly expresses the people’s dreams of actually owning them one day. Originally, this was a festival celebrated by the farmers who were praying for good crops.
Of course there couldn’t possibly be a holiday without the contribution of certain Gods. The first one to pray to is Ekeko, God of wealth in the old Andean civilization. Supposedly he is to turn your dreams into reality, meaning that miniature house or that airplane ticket you’ve been given needs to become real, but can’t be accomplished by mere mortals. People will usually take these miniature gifts and pin them to the poncho of the God Ekeko, which is left in your home throughout the year, kind of like a mini altar. When they pin these items on Ekeko, they usually light a cigarette and put it in his mouth. They actually then pray to him as he smokes! It is also vital to pay homage to the Mother Land and pray for mercy from the catholic saints, most notably the Virgin of La Paz.
The most popular items this year have been mini bags of sugar (there is a sugar shortage in Bolivia) and mini bags of cement (for construction). What do you buy if you need a partner? Women buy roosters, men buy hens. Owls need to be purchased if you merely seek something as banal as wisdom.
It is surprising that such a materialistic holiday would be connected with any deities, but it doesn’t end there. After acquiring your gifts, you need to have them blessed by a local shaman.
Then there is the Bolivian carnival coming up in a few weeks. You will know it’s about that time of the year when people – mostly youths – line up on each side of the street and battle each other with water balloons. It is a bad idea to be by yourself, because then you will become an easy victim. Mostly young women are easy money for these boys with bombs. Foreigners are not immune either: I ought to know – when I did my run last week, I got nailed in a drive-by. A water balloon hit me flush in the side of the head. Again, one shouldn’t walk (or run) alone, at least not unarmed.
Although the Bolivia carnival is not as well known as its counterpart in Brazil, it’s a wonderful opportunity to take a few days off, perform the local dances, and shut off traffic in the entire city. Women then wear high boots and miniature skirts that would seem scandalous in other parts of the world. Other people dress up as devils or other ancient creatures to help form the parade.
The parades come later. For now, we must survive the bombs.
Alasita is similar to Christmas in many ways, the only difference being that the gifts you buy are – literally – one hundredth of their actual size. In La Paz, people pack the streets and markets to buy anything and everything in miniature: cars, houses, shops, money, mobile phones, computers, you name it. Owning these things in miniature supposedly expresses the people’s dreams of actually owning them one day. Originally, this was a festival celebrated by the farmers who were praying for good crops.
Of course there couldn’t possibly be a holiday without the contribution of certain Gods. The first one to pray to is Ekeko, God of wealth in the old Andean civilization. Supposedly he is to turn your dreams into reality, meaning that miniature house or that airplane ticket you’ve been given needs to become real, but can’t be accomplished by mere mortals. People will usually take these miniature gifts and pin them to the poncho of the God Ekeko, which is left in your home throughout the year, kind of like a mini altar. When they pin these items on Ekeko, they usually light a cigarette and put it in his mouth. They actually then pray to him as he smokes! It is also vital to pay homage to the Mother Land and pray for mercy from the catholic saints, most notably the Virgin of La Paz.
The most popular items this year have been mini bags of sugar (there is a sugar shortage in Bolivia) and mini bags of cement (for construction). What do you buy if you need a partner? Women buy roosters, men buy hens. Owls need to be purchased if you merely seek something as banal as wisdom.
It is surprising that such a materialistic holiday would be connected with any deities, but it doesn’t end there. After acquiring your gifts, you need to have them blessed by a local shaman.
Then there is the Bolivian carnival coming up in a few weeks. You will know it’s about that time of the year when people – mostly youths – line up on each side of the street and battle each other with water balloons. It is a bad idea to be by yourself, because then you will become an easy victim. Mostly young women are easy money for these boys with bombs. Foreigners are not immune either: I ought to know – when I did my run last week, I got nailed in a drive-by. A water balloon hit me flush in the side of the head. Again, one shouldn’t walk (or run) alone, at least not unarmed.
Although the Bolivia carnival is not as well known as its counterpart in Brazil, it’s a wonderful opportunity to take a few days off, perform the local dances, and shut off traffic in the entire city. Women then wear high boots and miniature skirts that would seem scandalous in other parts of the world. Other people dress up as devils or other ancient creatures to help form the parade.
The parades come later. For now, we must survive the bombs.
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