A Holiday - La Tirana

Last week my grandmother went on a trip to Chillán hot springs with an elderly group, but weather didn’t actually accompany them and the signal was so bad we were not able to talk that much those days. One day we connected, and she remembered a travel we did together with my grandfather a couple years ago.

 I don’t have a photo right now but I guess I can upload it later.

 It was the beginning of winter holidays, July 2002, I was only 7 and I came back from school. My grandmother went to see me and told me “C’mon, Bárbara, go to change clothes! We’re leaving for a trip!” So I did, and like two hours after I came back from school the day holidays started, we left in a trip to the North of Chile.

 It lasted a whole week, we travel through a bus, and it took us like four days to get to Arica because we stopped in various towns in Chilean Coast. Right now I remember we visited the Elqui Valley and some vineyards; La Serena and the 3rd Millennial Cross (not sure if the translation is well done, the right name in Spanish is “Cruz del Tercer Milenio”), Antofagasta, the ZOFRI in Iquique, crossed the Atacama desert and we arrived on July 16th to Virgin Mary of Carmel eve (I have read online that in English, pelgrims call her “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” which make a lot more sense, but since we’re talking about a mixture of both cultures, the old pagan culture whom adored earth and the Pachamama, and the Christian religious that linked the “mother earth” with “Virgin Mary” I’m not sure how to translate the imaginary of Virgin Mary they have) , and we traveled to La Tirana, and it was my first and only time till now seeing such an impressive and passionate religious celebration.

 You can see all the dance groups and pilgrims prepared for the celebration wearing the “devil’s mask” and dancing the “Diablada”. The dances and parades stand till late and night and people went to visit the Virgin, leave her flowers, pray to her, being thankful. I’ll leave below a video example of the diabladas during the celebration and I hope you can feel the power of music and the passion the dancers put on it. Not sure if you will able to appreciate the details in the costumes, but it’s all related to dispel the devil from earth and have a prosper harvest later when spring comes.


Part of me still dreams to travel there again one year with grandma and see the carnival with her again. Her name is Hilda del Carmen, and in a believer family where saints are important it means a lot to her. 

 I hope to be able to do it someday.

 Regards everyone!!

Comments

  1. Unknown6 October 2017 at 09:06

    Wow, Amizing trip! I always want trip to the beatiful festival. thet amazing grandmother has.

    ReplyDelete
  2. m_ariaignaacia6 October 2017 at 09:25

    hi, what a grat trip you had, i hope some day trip to the festival .

    ReplyDelete
  3. CamilaIovanka6 October 2017 at 09:28

    That's wonderful trip with your family<3
    Thanks for share this experience
    Regards<3

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown1 December 2017 at 18:42

    wooooow! I want to go there someday!

    ReplyDelete

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