Nothing is worse than being a blonde gringa this time of year because you become everybody's favorite target. I've managed to avoid most of it by taking taxis and buses everywhere, but that's made for an expensive few weeks. Needless to say, I'm not too festive, and I'm so glad that it'll all be over with by Wednesday. For a really good blog on what it's like for a gringa during Carnaval, check the Democracy Center's Blog from Bolivia.
Today is the big day - the parade, with hours of traditional dancing, elaborate costumes, and folk music. It's really quite an event, but I'm skipping the whole thing. I arrived in Bolivia just in time to catch the parade back in 2004 and ended up with bruises all over my body from [frozen] water balloons (who does that?!) and a terrible sunburn. I'm hiding out in my house, and then heading up to the center for our regular Saturday night activities.
This youtube video shows some highlights of the parade up in Oruro (THE parade in Bolivia). At least watch the first minute so you can see the devil's dance.
Carnaval in Cochabamba has its roots in the ancient Andean religions. It's believed that after the Day of the Dead in November, the spirits of the deceased make their way up to Pachamama (a Mother Earth figure in the Andean religion) in the heavens and ask for rain. Hence, the rainy season starts at the end of November. By the end of January/early February, Cochabamba has been flooded by rain, and the people celebrate the abundance and thank Pachamama by throwing water. Good Catholics will tell you it has something to do with the approaching Easter season, but it wasn't until the Conquistadors arrived that the holiday had that dual meanings. So the spiritual happenings are intense this time of year, and I can feel it like a chill down my spine and a nervous feeling that keeps me awake at night.
