Esta página ainda não foi traduzida para português; mostra-se o texto original em inglês.
Carnival of Oruro
Carnaval de Oruro
Na Lista do Património Cultural Imaterial da Humanidade da UNESCO
Foto: Pame82s, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the Bolivian highlands, some 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians dance their way along a four-kilometre route to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Mineshaft — devils, llama herders and caporales in a carnival where Andean gods and Catholic saints have long shared the stage.
From the Uru to the Virgin of the Mineshaft
Oruro was a pilgrimage centre of the Andean world long before the Spanish arrived, and its carnival grew out of pre-Columbian rituals of the Uru people. When the Spanish banned the native Itu ceremonies in the seventeenth century, the Uru continued them in the form of a Catholic ritual at Candlemas, with Christian icons concealing Andean gods. Legend says that in 1756 an image of the Virgin appeared in a mineshaft of Oruro’s richest silver mine, and ever since the carnival has honoured the Virgen del Socavón, the Virgin of the Mineshaft. The Christian Virgin and Devil blended with Pachamama and the mountain spirit Tío Supay.
UNESCO proclaimed the Carnival a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.
The Entrada
More than 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians in about fifty groups take part in the Entrada, repeating the four-kilometre route to the sanctuary for twenty hours without a break. The dances come from across Bolivia: negritos, the Afro-Bolivian saya, caporales, tinku, llamerada, kullawada, morenada and many more — but the Diablada, the dance of the devils, has become the carnival’s leading dance. The pilgrimage culminates in two mystery plays, one about the Spanish conquest and one in which the Archangel Michael defeats the Devil and the Seven Deadly Sins, introduced by the clergy in 1818. Marching bands also compete at their own national festival before the carnival.
Quando acontece
The Carnival lasts ten days before Lent. Its heart is the Entrada, the great procession on Carnival Saturday, when dancers cover the route for some twenty hours without interruption; the celebrations continue over the following days. Dates move each year with Easter, in February or early March.
- 6 – 8 de fevereiro de 2027Calculada
- 26 – 28 de fevereiro de 2028Calculada
- 10 – 12 de fevereiro de 2029Calculada
- 2 – 4 de março de 2030Calculada
Visitar com respeito
Segurança
- Oruro lies high on the Altiplano and altitude sickness is a risk in the Bolivian highlands. Give yourself time to adjust.
- Petty crime is common in crowded areas and on buses. Keep valuables close, and use radio taxis ordered by phone.
- Express kidnappings target tourists, sometimes by criminals impersonating police officers. Be wary of anyone offering help at taxi stands and bus stations.
Fontes
Esta entrada foi escrita a partir das fontes seguintes.
- Carnival of OruroUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
- Carnival of OruroWikipedia · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
- Bolivia travel advice: safety and securityUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
- Bolivia travel advice: healthUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
Festas relacionadas
Festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria
Festividad de la Virgen de la Candelaria
Each February, Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca honours its patron saint with Peru’s largest festival of music and dance — about a hundred thousand dancers and ten thousand musicians, most of them Quechua and Aymara, and weeks of masses, processions and contests.
1 – 15 de fevereiro de 2027Estimada
Barranquilla Carnival
Carnaval de Barranquilla
For the four days before Lent, Colombia’s Caribbean port sets work aside for one of the world’s largest carnivals — a Battle of Flowers, a Great Parade of cumbia, congo and garabato dancers, an orchestra contest, and the burial of Joselito Carnaval.
6 – 9 de fevereiro de 2027Calculada
Rio Carnival
Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro
In the days before Lent, Rio de Janeiro holds what is considered the world’s largest carnival — two million people a day on the streets, and a contest of samba schools that parade through the Sambadrome with floats, drummers and thousands of dancers.
5 – 9 de fevereiro de 2027Calculada