The biggest festivity around Titicaca lake
So far in Bolivia we are being extremely lucky. Wherever we go, there is a party going on. At the border they were celebrating the request of a new university. Now, we got to enjoy the Senor de la Cruz de Colquepata festival, the biggest festivity in the area, and the first one again after the pandemic.
The festivity basically consists in a big parade to the church of the Senor de Colquepata (which is currently under construction as they are building a new one, and I must say, much uglier than the previous one), where everybody is wearing traditional clothing.
Once there, they prey, they sing, and then the party starts.
The whole of Copacabana is just a mix of people going up and down, all beautifully dressed, while drinking, singing and dancing.
Most people come in big organized groups, some from as far as Oruro or Cochabamba, with their own dancers, musicians, and choreography. It is a great show to watch.
For those not in those groups, there is plenty to do. The beach at the lake is full of food stalls, bouncing castles for the kids, inflatable contraptions for the adults to do crazy things in the water… Overall, a great atmosphere.
We enjoyed it a lot, although for the kids it was a bit too loud with the wind instruments, and after lunch time some people were a little bit too drunk.
The place was full even though we were already on the last day of the festivities. I can’t imagine how the previous two days were.
At the end of the day, most people rushed to go back to La Paz or whatever their home location was.
For the few lucky ones that could stay longer, there was more music and more dancing.
Before leaving though, most people passed through the Church of Our Lady of Copacabana where a priest blessed all vehicles that passed by, all conveniently decorated, in exchange for a donation.
In the following days we would find most of the decorations lying on the side of the road, to the delight of our kids that were decorating our bikes.
Katherine G
Que buen recibimiento, party party 🥳. Y creo eso es lo que llaman Las fiestas patronales que celebran a lo grande y por varios dias. Interesante los vestidos tradicionales, faldones, sombreros, chales, que colorido!!! Saludos!!