On the 24th of January each year, people from all over Bolivia flock to La Paz to fill their shopping bags with houses, cars, electrical goods, clothing, food, computers, airline tickets and even university degrees, all for the unbeatable price of a few bolivianos. The Alasitas festival is held annually for the Ekeko. Over time, it evolved to accommodate elements of Catholicism and Western acquisitiveness. During Alasitas, which takes place just prior to Carnaval, everything you can possibly think of is sold in miniature. Although Alasitas is based around an Andean deity, due to religion in Bolivia being a mix of Catholic and Andean beliefs, the Catholic church also joins in the festivities. Bolivia. (Oh! In the year 2016 the Feast of Alasita and miniatures of the Altiplano of Puno was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation of Peru, This declaration supports that the alasitas fairs and the ritual use of propitiatory miniatures are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Peru. Alasitas is an Aymara festival Bolivia celebrates in reverence of the indigenous “god of bounty” or “abundance” called the Ekkekko. But because it has also become very touristic, you can now purchase just about anything you want at Alasitas in the form of handcrafts and art pieces for tourists. Photo Credit: Cltn. The Alasitas festival is held annually for the Ekeko. This, I'm told, is because you must always give to the Earth before taking for yourself. The celebration was the 20 October but in 1781 Sebastián Segurola, established that the Alasita fair is the 24 January to celebrate the end of the siege of the indigenous to the city of La Paz, which lasted many months causing shortage of food in the city, in this way the Alasitas (Festival of abundance) It meant the end of such extended period of hunger and need. At midday on 24 January, the Catholic Church joins in the celebration by blessing the gifts at the main cathedral in La Paz.[1]. They're little pieces of meat and potatoes stuck on to a thin metal stick and roasted on an open grill. One of the highest cities in the world, La Paz is best explored at a slow pace, taking the time to soak up the city's rich culture and fascinating history. [1]

They sell so well that they've completely broken with tradition and now sell all kinds of things just for tourists.

It's incredibly interesting. The indigenous Aymara people observed an event called Chhalasita in the pre-Columbian era, when people prayed for good crops and exchanged basic goods.

Examples of goods that can be bought are household items, food, computers, construction materials, cell phones, houses, cars, university diplomas and even figures of domestic workers (whom the recipient might hope to employ). Therefore, Alasitas has been called the Festival of Abundance. The aguayo is the colorful handloomed lambswool or alpaca wool fabric that Aymara women use to carry produce or their children on their backs. It is believed that if somebody gives a miniature version, the recipient will get the real object in the course of the following year. "Alasitas: Bolivia's festival of miniatures", "Adaptación y cambio cultural en la feria de Alasitas", "Bolivia postula tres expresiones culturales como patrimonio inmaterial ante la Unesco", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alasitas&oldid=968325808, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 July 2020, at 17:38. It sprawls along many streets and parks in central La Pazand smaller events are held in many neighborhoods around the city. The Aymara purchase in miniature everything they hope the Ekkekko will grant them during the coming year. It's rather amusing, really, since most of the people who sell at Alasitas claim to be staunchly anti-capitalist. When they first pin the miniature things to his poncho they put a cigarrette in his mouth and light it. They then pray to him as he smokes. Juxtaposed with the colorful lifestyle and traditions of the Aymara people, is a cosmopolitan city full of modern cafes, clubs, bars and restaurants.

It is believed that if somebody gives a miniature version, the recipient will ge… The largest Alasitas fair (or Alacita, Alacitas, Alasita; Spanish: Feria de las Alasitas) is an annual month-long cultural event starting on 24 January in La Paz, Bolivia. Because you buy all these objects in miniature form. These goods can be blessed by any one of the men and (less frequently) women acting as shaman. Alasitas is a 3-week long fair that, in La Paz, takes place beginning on the 24th of January and in Santa Cruz takes place in September. Everything is in miniature! He appeared for the first time modelled in clay; nowadays the figures are usually cast in plaster.[3]. In return for these gifts, Ekeko watches over their family, keeping misfortune at bay and reciprocating any generosity he receives before the year is out. Set against a striking backdrop of snow-capped mountains, Nuestra Señora de La Paz, commonly known as La Paz, is Bolivia’s third most populous city and the world’s highest seat of government. On the 24th of January each year, people from all over Bolivia flock to La Paz to fill their shopping bags with houses, cars, electrical goods, clothing, food, computers, airline tickets and even university degrees, all for the unbeatable price of a few bolivianos. You purchase all your friends and family want for the coming year ahead – a house, money, a marriage certificate, a diploma – you name it, you can get it. People attend the event from all over the city and even travel from other cities inside Bolivia to buy miniature versions of goods they would like to give to somebody else.

The transactions were made with the same stone coins and slowly the cult to the Ekeko was reintroduced. Taking place just before Carnaval, Alasitas Fair, or Feria de las Alasitas in Spanish, is a month-long festival, where locals … [3], During the 1781 siege of La Paz, Sebastián Segurola re-established the celebration moving it from October to 24 January, as a gesture of gratitude towards Our Lady of Peace, the holy figure for which the city of La Paz was named. Because Ekeko is a demanding God who must be kept happy, along with providing him miniature gifts, Bolivians also light a cigarette in his mouth, sometimes throwing a bit of alcohol on the floor in front of him before drinking it themselves. Alisitas is all about celebrating abundance for the year ahead and runs for three weeks over January and February.



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