It is
hard to experience Bolivian culture at its finest without attending the Gran Poder
(translated as the great power), the annual festival that features dancers – this
year 40,000 of them - donning their colorful suits, dresses, feathers, and
masks.
The Gran
Poder’s origin harks back to early last century, when it could still be considered
a feast celebrated by the indigenous population, at best, but eventually blew
up into a folk parade, now the biggest of its kind in La Paz.
In all,
sixty-four fraternities dance as an offering to the Lord Jesus del Gran Poder
(Christ, in short), the patron of the festival, within the Garita de Lima
district, the center of the Bolivian capital. Supposedly the dancers’
requests and wishes are fulfilled once all dancers complete the dance.
Although
this was first predominant to the Aymara – an ethnic origin that includes nobody
less than President Evo Morales – it’s safe to say that fraternities throughout
the country now take part in it, among them the diplomatic fraternity that
includes several ambassadors in the nation’s capital. These ladies and gentlemen
practiced their dance steps for weeks before the festival in order to
participate in the party. American diplomats, among them many women, are not
above wearing cholitas’ braids, the heavy suits with embroidered burgundy, the
plastic beads, and the traditional heavy masks that need to be outfitted with
hankies in order to prevent heavy sweating. Although I don’t mind a physical
challenge, I pass on this, the five mile dance down the main street of La
Paz.
Of
course, the diplomatic fraternity will offer the usual lip service about how ‘excited’
they are to be a part of it and how they can live Bolivian culture firsthand,
the truth is they are all pleased as punch and relieved once it’s all over.
A good
photo for the Gran Poder would be this one:
The
people standing by the side of the road and applauding the dancers as they pass
them are less political about this – in fact the diplomatic fraternity is arguably
one of the most anticipated dancing fraternities every year.
Needless
to say, a festival like this does wonders for the local economy, as copious
amounts of beer and local food are consumed. Profiting handsomely from the
dance festival are also the suit and dress designers, as some suits have been
known to sell for as much as $10,000 (!), depending on material, some of which
is imported, and the taste and the wealth of the customer.
But all
of that flies out the window when you’re standing on the sidewalk and watch the
dancers pass you, each dancing fraternity dressed more elegantly than the next,
and the choreography simply blows your mind. That is, until you realize that
this has been done for years, and every step has been practiced to perfection
well in advance.
The Gran
Poder has gained in popularity every year, although it hasn’t really become a
public parade since 1940, a pittance by traditional festivals’ standards. It’s
also not hard to see why it won’t go away anytime soon, as it has become as
Bolivian as the lama or the Andes.
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