Video: Devil's Dancing at Oruro Carnival: 20-Hour Non-Stop March
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Oruro - a small mining town with gray houses of the same type, which once a year turns into one of the brightest places on the planet. How is this possible? Here, on the eve of Great Lent, there is a three-day carnival, which is attended by over 30,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians! The program includes "dances of the devil", theatrical performances, mysteries and, of course, a sea of laughter and unrestrained fun!
The tradition of holding a carnival originates from the most ancient pre-Columbian beliefs of the Uru Indians. Then the action was dedicated to two deities - the mother goddess Pachamami, symbolizing the bright principle, and the deity of the mountains Tio Supai, who personified evil spirits. The eternal struggle of light and shadow, good and evil - this is the connecting thread that unites the ancient ritual with today's action.
The Spanish conquistadors banned the carnival in the 17th century, and the celebration was organized underground, of course, not on such a scale as it is now. However, in 1756, a fresco depicting the Virgin Mary was discovered in one of the mines in the silver mines. The incident is still perceived as a miracle, and the carnival is now dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Schacht. Here is a kind of syncretism of traditions.
The main event during the celebration is the solemn parade, which lasts 20 hours non-stop. Tens of thousands of dancers and musicians, more than 150 orchestras - all this mass of people, accompanied by a deafening drum roll, flows in a live stream along the central street of Oruro. The dancers personify good and evil forces, a fight in which life, joy and fun always win. For the so-called "diabloda" ("dances of the devil"), they dress in pink leotards, red-and-white boots decorated with dragons and snakes, and frightening masks with horns and fierce gaze flaunt on their faces. Costume designs are constantly changing, with several local workshops specializing in this. The cost of outfits can reach several hundred dollars, which is a fortune by the standards of Bolivians.
To get into the holiday atmosphere, just watch the incendiary video from last year's Oruro carnival.
You can learn about how national holidays are held in other countries of the world from the colorful photo review "Carnival walks the planet".
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