Monday, November 9, 2015

Bolivian Superstition !!!

Bring out your dead...dress them up and put cigarettes in their mouths:  Bolivians decorate skulls dug from graves for indigenous religious festival to bring good luck and blessings

  • The Day of the Skull takes place every year in Bolivia on November 8
  • Some skulls are handed down through generations but many are taken from abandoned graves
  • They are decorated and taken to a cemetery in La Paz a week after All Saints Day
  • The skulls are cared for by the faithful who believe they give them protection 
  • The Roman Catholic Church disapproves of the practice but recognises it to maintain its influence in the South American country
To many it would seem macabre but to the faithful in Bolivia’s capital La Paz, it is a celebration steeped in spiritual significance.
The Day of the Skull mixes Andean pre-Hispanic beliefs with Roman Catholicism - even though the Church disapproves of the display where skulls are dressed up with flowers, hats and sunglasses and cigarettes are put in their mouths.
Many of the skulls have been handed down through generations but some have been taken from unnamed abandoned graves.
On display: The human skulls or 'natitas' are displayed outside the Cementario General chapel in La Paz, Bolivia. They are surrounded by offerings of coca leaves, flower petals and cigarettes

Lit up: Many of the human skulls on show are kept in people's houses during the year, and dusted off for the big day. They receive blessings and are decorated with offerings 

Tradition: Thousands of people attend the celebrations of the Day of the Skull in La Paz, Bolivia. They are greeted by the priest inside the General Cemetery chapel in the tradition which marks the end of the Catholic All Saints holiday
The Roman Catholic Church does not endorse the practice believing that it stems from pagan origins. However ever since an uproar 15 years ago when the cemetery's parish refused to open its doors to believers, the parish allows believers to take part in the blessing ceremony.
The skulls, or 'natitas,' are kept in people's homes, where believers give them names and keep them in glass cases or on makeshift altars.
The skulls are usually not of family members but of strangers, often recovered from unnamed, abandoned graves or purchased. 

Held tight: The skulls, known in Spanish as 'natitas' have been handed down through generations. However many are from unnamed, abandoned graves
Blessings: People hold the skulls as they wait to be greeted by the priest inside the chapel. The skulls are used as amulets and are believed to offer protection. There is a mixture of Catholic and indigenous traditions in Bolivia
Spiritual ceremony: The Day of the Skulls is an integral part of the country in South America where the traditions and cultures of the Aymara, Quechua and other groups remain strong
Devotion: Candles and other offerings are placed in front of the skulls. Some are the remains of family members that have been exhumed, while others may have been given to them by friends. Often, the skulls have been stolen from secret cemeteries and passed down for generations




Strong belief: The chapel in the main cemetery of La Paz was filled with hundreds of people trying to place their skull in the best position for the annual ceremony to honour the 'natita' tradition

Decorated: Glasses and flowers adorn the skulls, which are kept in people's houses during the year. Many Bolivians keep the skulls of close relatives at home as a talisman which they then have blessed once a year during the macabre festival

Devotee: The skulls are kept in urns of wood or glass, or in toy boxes and decorated with garlands of nardos, which is a curative plant with white, fragrant blossoms. Some skulls wear hats or caps inscribed with a name

Protection: The tradition of The Day of Skulls is thought to stem from the pre-Columbian custom of keeping skulls as trophies. Their display symbolises death and rebirth

In memory: The day begins with songs and prayers by mariachi bands, with much singing and dancing in the cemetery gardens. The celebrations are a mixture of the sombre and the festive



Offerings: The Bolivian church considers the Day of the Skull a pagan cult, but chooses to recognise it as a way of retaining its influence in the indigenous-majority country
Standing on ceremony: The skulls are taken for blessings at church and although there is no mass held, devotees have the skulls blessed before taking part in the festivities
Ancient Andean beliefs holds that people have seven souls, and one stays with the skull.
Believers think this soul has the power to visit people in their dreams, heal and provide protection. This is the thinking behind the various decorations on the skulls, which act as a sign of gratitude.
The belief in 'natitas' is deeply rooted in poor neighbourhoods and among rural migrants, but isn't popular among Bolivia's middle class.


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