Festivals and Holidays in Bolivia

Festivals and Holi solar twenty-four hourss in BoliviaA fiesta is an event, usu al angiotensin-converting enzyme and only(a)y and ordinarily staged by a topical anesthetic community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival. Among numerous religions, a feast is a set of jubilations in honour of paragon or matinee idols. A feast and a fiesta atomic number 18 historically interchangeable. However, the term feast has to a fault ente ruddy common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When utilise as in the pith of a fete, roughly frequently refers to a phantasmal fete kinda than a film or graphics fete.In the Christian liturgical calendar there atomic number 18 2 principal feasts, properly cognise as the Feast of the Nativity of our passe- give focusout (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection, (Easter). In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Angli apprise liturgical calendars there ar a b road number of lesser feasts end-to-end the year mark saints, sacred events, doctrines, etc.For a list of festivals in the USA, please nonice List of festivals in the fall in States.BoliviaThe annual tradition of Alasitas involves dealing fine replicas of the things you want the coming year, and put outing them to the Ekeko, who carries them (literally, the things be supposed to be gift or somehow attached to him) during the year.In Bolivia, Ekeko is a character associated with teemingness and prosperity, and he is the central figure in the Festival of Alasitas. This event is base in the city of La Paz, solely eject besides be seen in former(a) cities of Bolivia. Juan Apaza writes somewhat some of the scenes from Alasitas in El low-pitched Hoy es.AlasitasAlasitas is a 3-week long fair that, in La Paz, takes value beginning on the 24th of January and in Santa Cruz takes rump in September. Everything is in miniature This festival originally took throw in in Septembe r throughout the state of matter when its spring time in Bolivia and farmers prayed for a trustworthy preen so their harvest would be bountiful. Alasitas is an Aymara festival Bolivia celebrates in reverence of the endemical god of bounty or abundance called the Ekkekko. at that placefore, Alasitas has been called the Festival of Abundance. It takes place at the Parque Urbano in La Paz and the 5th Ring between Tres Pasos al Frente and Cumavi in Santa Cruz. As it grows each year, its location is sometimes go.Tradition that has spread to other startles of Bolivia as immigrants move nigh however, in the Andean regions of the country the date was switched to January to commemorate an natural uprising that took place in 1781, allow by Tupac Katari.The Aymara flummox a god called the Ekkekko (meaning mid grab or dwarf). Hes the god of abundance. They purchase a statue of the Ekkekko which usually has a poncho do of aguayo fabric. The aguayo is the colorful handloomed lambswool or alpaca wool fabric that Aymara women use to carry produce or their children on their backs.During Alasitas, which takes place just prior to Carnaval, everything you can possibly calculate of is sold in miniature. You can stupefy miniature houses, cars, grocery w behousing products, university diplomas, elfin tools and kitchen utensils, clothing, even straitss and visas.The Aymara purchase in miniature everything they hope the Ekkekko result grant them during the coming year. They past pin these things to his poncho and leave them there as a sort of altar in their homes throughout the year, in the hopes that he will help them acquire these things during that time.When they for the first time pin the miniature things to his poncho they put a cigarrette in his tattle and light it. They then pray to him as he smokes. some(prenominal)times they drink alcohol and toss him a little drop or drop some onto the floor in earlier of the Ekkekko before drinking from the glass them selves. This, Im told, is because you must always give to the acres before taking for yourself.Alasitas is a prominent place to visit as a tourist. Its incredibly interesting. But because it has also be flummox very touristic, you can flat purchase just closely anything you want at Alasitas in the form of handcrafts and art pieces for tourists. In fact, it has baffle so general that artisans come all the way from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and other places to sell their handcrafts too.You can also find things that are not in miniature wish great ceramics and leather goods. Definitely visit this month-long fair if youre in La Paz in February or in Santa Cruz in September.You can sample all kinds of great baked goods and dried fruits. I suggest trying the anticuchos. Anticuchos are like shish-kabobs. Theyre little pieces of meat and potatoes stuck on to a thin metal set out and roasted on an open grill. Prior to handing the anticucho to you, the griller will slather a spicy sauce over it. The sauce is absolutely delicious and is made from peanuts and hot peppers. (Oh And did I mention the meat is beef heart? Yum.)Alasitas has snuff it one of the best and largest venues for people to sell their goods and handcrafts each year. They sell so wellspring that theyve completely broken with tradition and now sell all kinds of things just for tourists. In addition, what used to be a 10-day fair has been blanket(a) to 30 days and they now move to Santa Cruz every year in September and stay a whole month there too. Its rather amusing, really, since most of the people who sell at Alasitas claim to be staunchly anti- outstandingist.During the Alasitas Fair devotees subvert miniatures of items they would like to own and offer them to Ekeko, the idol of Plenty, objet dart the Virgin of La Paz is also honoured.Alasitas is Bolivias festival of small wishes, yearly held in different towns at different times. The largest fair is held yearly i n the capital of La Paz, on January 24, when Bolivians spoil miniatures representing the material goods they aspire to own and offer them to Ekeko, the paragon of Abundance.The History of the Festival of Alasitas in BoliviaThere is not one conclusive theory about how and where the festival started. In the Aymar language, alasitas agent buy from me and in pre-colonial times Alasitas was notable in September Bolivian springtime, to ensure a good crop.It is said that the Spanish changed the date to January 24 in memorial of an indigenous uprising in 1781 the siege of La Paz by Tupac Katari. During the resolution the Spanish tried to force Catholicism on the indigenous people. They partly succeeded, many Bolivians became Catholics, save in fact the Bolivian religion became a mix of Catholicism and handed-down Andean beliefs and rituals.Ads by GoogleHaving Doubts About the LDS church service? Mentoring by former Mormons www.irr.orgYou Can Make a Difference God wants to work th rough you. Transformation soul winning helps harvestevan.org/ containstore.htmlWho Celebrates the Alasitas Fair?Alasitas has become a potpourri where Catholicism is mixed with centuries-old Andes traditions. The main divinity is Ekeko, alone Catholic priests give their blessing to the newly acquired miniature goods as well, sea discussion of honor simultaneously the Virgin of La Paz is honoured. Whereas the Franciscans focalize on the Virgin, the yatiris the topical anesthetic wizards focus on Ekeko the average Bolivian cares about both.Alasitas is a festival for everybody and celebrated by Bolivians from all levels of society. It is celebrated by the inhabitants of liquidations, cities and countryside, by the highlanders and the lowlanders, by the indigenous and the criollos, as well as by western orientated entrepreneurs.Who is Ekeko, Bolivias God of Plenty?Ekeko dwarf in Aymar is the household god and it is not unusual for Bolivians to consecrate a representation of thi s short and chubby, clever-looking fellow in their home. To ensure good luck the statue should be received as a gift and not be personally bought. Ekeko brings wealth into the family and keeps misfortune at bay.To obtain the spare of fortune, Bolivians like to present Ekeko with miniatures mostly made of a sugary ticker of products they would like to own. These can be a house, a car, furniture, clothes, an airplane further also food. A miniature passport may be bought if one has the wish to travel, a university diploma in case one wants to drive or when graduation is near.Read onLa Paz, Bolivia Forms of Public expatThe Archaeological Museum in La Paz, BoliviaThree Good Reasons to Travel to La Paz, BoliviaPerfectly copied miniature dollar and euro notes are favoured over local bolivianos in case one wants wealth. Ekeko loves smoking, his statue has a special hole in the mouth to offer him a cigarette.Where in La Paz is La feast de las Alasitas illustrious?Calle Sagrnaga is the commercial centre of the indigenous handicraft of miniatures. This is the heart of the tourist centre where thousands of tourists stroll down the alleys in search of souvenirs and to admire the local curiosities of miniatures and other products that bring good fortune.The Bolivians especially come for the latter during Alasitas, and the streets are crammed with locals who need to buy their miniatures replicas in time the blessings will take place around noon and they should be prepared by then.The location of the ritual of blessings may change yearly. It is best to ask at a holidaymaker Information, or another tourist location such as a hotel, restaurant or museum where the main activities will be held.The Alasitas Festival in La Paz, BoliviaAlasitas is one of La Paz all-important(prenominal) festivals. On January 24 Bolivians buy miniatures of products they would like to own and offer them to their God of Abundance, Ekeko. This festival gives tourists an insight into the t ypic Bolivian mixture of Catholicism and local beliefs.Holidays and Festivals in BoliviaAlasitasThis is a colourful, happy event tinged with poignancy. At the end of January the streets in the centre of La Paz have with people from the city and the countryside, many of them in traditional dress, eagerly get finely-crafted miniatures from street stalls and vendors. The figures represent material goods that the people aspire to own. It faculty be a tiny automobile or a bag of cement to represent a new home. A miniature passport or postage stamp might secure a aspiration of travel and tiny banknotes might bring wealth. One of the most popular figurine is Ekeko, The God of Abundance, a popular, generous and all encompassing divinity. At the end of frenzied buying and selling there is a rising slope to visit the Yatiri, a wizard who blesses all the objects.Virgen de la CandelariaThe festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria, in many images, is celebrated on February 2 in assorted Hi spanic Catholic countries, including Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela and Uruguay.The celebrations in Peru and Bolivia are centered around Lake Titicaca, in Puno and the small village of Copacabana. In Bolivia, the Virgen is also known as the sick Virgin of the Lake, and the athletic supporteress Of Bolivia. She is revered for a serial publication of miracles, recounted in Nuestra Seora de Copacabana and has another festival on August 5. Normally, Copacabana is a quiet, rural village with fishing and agri last the mainstays. However, the week before and the day of the fiesta, the village changes.There are parades, colorful costumes, practice of medicine and a lot of drinking and celebrating. invigorated vehicles are brought in from all over Bolivia to be blessed with beer. nation gather for days ahead to pray and to celebrate in a mixture of Catholic and native religions. Bolivian celebrants believe the Virgen prefers to stay inwardly the Basilica erected in her honor. When tak en outside, there is a risk of squeeze or other calamity.Carnaval de Oruro and Diablada FestivalSay Carnaval and what images come to mind? fantastically and scantily garbed dancers, pounding samba rhythms, parades, incessant revelry? Carnaval de Oruro, Bolivia?In Bolivia, Oruro, Santa Cruz, Tarija and La Paz hold carnavals but the carnaval in Oruro,is the most famous. It takes place for the 8 days preceeding Ash Wednesday. Unlike carnaval in Rio where the escolas de samba choose a new theme each year, carnaval in Oruro always begins with the diablada or lecture dance. The diablada is a centuries-old ritual surviving unchanged from colonial days.Next are hundreds of devils in monstrous costumes. The heavy masks have horns bulging eyes fangs long hair and in contrast to the frightening masks the devils wear sparkling breastplates silk embroidered shawls and comfortable spurs. Between the devils groups of dancers get dressed as monkeys pumas and insects caper to the music from bra ss bands, or pipers or drummers. The noise is loud and frenzied.Out of the devil dancers comes China Supay, the Devils wife, who dances a seductive dance to entice the Archangel Michael. Around her dance the members of local workers unions, each carrying a small symbol of their union such as pickaxes or shovels. Dancers dressed as Incas with condor headdresses and suns and moons on their chests dance along with dancers dressed as the black slaves imported by the Spaniards to work in the silver mines.Family members led by the matriarchs in yellow dresses appear in influence first the husbands dressed in red, beside come the daughters in green, catched by the sons in blue. The families dance their way to the football stadium where the next part of the celebrations takes place.Two plays begun, as medieval mystery plays, are enacted. The first portrays the triumph by the Spanish conquistadores. The number is the triumph of the Archangel Michael as he defeats the devils and the Sev en Deadly Sins with his flaming sword. The results of the combat are announced the Patron Saint of the Miners the Virgen del Socavon and the dancers sing a Quecha hymn.Although the references to the Spanish conquest and the downtrodden state of the Bolivian peasants are very clear, this festival is based on the pre-Colonial ceremony of large thanks to the earth-mother Pachamama. It commemorates the struggles of good and evil and the early Catholic priests allowed it to continue with a Christian overlay in an effort to pacify the local natives.The celebration of carnaval continues for days as the diablada dancers break into smaller groups and continue move around huge bonfires. Onlookers join the procession at any point and with the expenditure of strong Bolivian beer and the very potent chicha made from fermented cereals and lemon yellow they get rowdy. Many sleep in doorways or where they fall until they put forward and continue celebrating. If you plan to be in Oruro or any of the towns celebrating carnaval, follow the basic safety precautionsDress comfortablyAllow yourself time to get acclimated to the altitudeWatch what you drink chicha hangovers are awful cash in ones chips your valuables behindCarnaval de Santa CruzRefleja el espritu alegre del pueblo cruceo. Comienza un mes antes con las fiestas precarnavalerasen las que participan todas las comparsas juveniles encabezadas por su Reina. Una semana antes del carnaval se lleva a cabo el minicorso en el cual se realiza la proclamacin de la soberana anual del Carnaval .A partir del atardecer del sbado y hasta el amanecer del domingo de carnaval tiene lugar el deslumbrante Corso en el que saltanalrededor de three hundred comparsas. Las mismas recorren las calles de la ciudad al ritmo de bandas y tamborita. En el recorrido el visitante podr admirar un marco desbordante de lujo y colorido en hermosas fantasas, impresionantes carros alegricos que transportan a las reinas, tambin percibir el intento por rescatar los motivos regionales y el respeto al medio ambiente.El espectculo adquiere su mxima fastuosidad cuando ingresa la reina del carnaval cruceo con toda su corte constituida por los integrantes de la comparsa coronadora.En estas fiestas la mujer es la principal protagonista pues, al estar completamente disfrazada, hace de las suyas escogiendo pareja, coqueteando e invitando a bailar a los varones que asisten a dichas fiestas. El pblico podr apreciar que la entrada de los grupos est dividida en tres bloques folklricos regional, nacional e internacional.Tambin participan de esta fiesta conjuntos tpicos, entre los que destacan los de la Chiquitana que entran acompaados de tamboristas al son de chovenas (ritmo oriental).El frenes continua el domingo, lunes y martes , das en que la poblacin baila y se divierte en las calles cntricas de la ciudad jugando con agua, pintura y espumas, viviendo momentos de total alegra.Pujllay or Phujllay in Tarabuco, SucreThe Pujllay or bet on begin s with a Catholic mass in Quechua language it stops then to continue with the party and the rejoicing for the victory of the Battle of Jumbata in a parade of nonpareil coloring, the peasants move to the place where the Pucara is and they dance in circles to its purlieu to the they are of the Tokoros, Pinquillos, Spurs, Bells and Drummers.The Pucara that consists on a support or stairway cover with great variety of agricultural products, besides drinks, breads and others taken place by the peasants of the region.Labor daytime or may sidereal dayIf you are traveling in Latin the States on the first day of May, you can expect to find banks, government offices, stores, post offices and businesses closed for the day as people celebrate the Da Internacional Del Trabajo with parades, demonstrations and other symbols of solidarity with the worker.Bolivia celebrated Da Internacional del Trabajo for the first time on May 1, 1936. twenty-four hours of the Worker, or May daytime, had alr eady been established in Europe, and would shortly sweep across the Latin the Statesn countries.The communist and collectivized countries embraced the day, and over time, May Day became associated with those political systems in many non-English oration countries.In Paris in 1889 the International Working Mens Association (the First International) declared May foremost an international working class holiday in commemoration of the Haymarket Martyrs. The red flag became the symbol of the blood of working class martyrs in their battle for workers rights.The Origins And Traditions Of MaydayWho were the Haymarket Martyrs? They are all but ignored in the tarradiddle of the United States, who moved the May Day labor celebrations to September. May Day what happened to the fundamental workersholiday? The first Monday in September is now the Labor Day holiday, but it has very little to do with the reason for a working mans holiday. This history is detailed in May Day the Real Labor Da y. tenacious before May Day, The WorkersDay, born in the struggle for the eight-hour day came to be, the first of May was a traditional day of feasting, celebrating spring, fertility, romance and to a greater extent.The Pagan Origins of May Day asks Why did the Labour Movement choose May Day as International Labour Day? Its more(prenominal) that May Day chose the Labour Movement. Unlike Easter, Whitsun or Christmas, May Day is the one festival of the year for which there is no significant church service. Because of this it has always been a strong secular festival, curiously among working people who in prior centuries would take the day off to celebrate it as a holiday, often clandestinely without the support of their employer. It was a popular custom, in the proper sense of the word a peoples day so it was naturally identified with the Labour and socialist movements and by the twentieth century it was firmly rooted as part of the socialist calendar.So now you know why everythi ng shuts down on May 1. Its a good idea to play it safe that day and stay away from parades and rallies that might prove explosive.Gran PoderThe merging of pre-Columbian religions and the Roman Catholic faith created a number of religious observations, including the Fiesta del Gran Poder celebrated primarily in La Paz, Bolivia. The event began in the late 1930s with a small number of dancers and is today a huge event.The festival centers around the devotion to Christ as the second person in the Holy Trinity based on an unidentified painting of the Trinity dating from the early XVII century. The three entities were pied withIndian or mestizo features. Though the Catholic church had forbidden gentleman representations of the Holy Trinity, a young novice styled Genoveva Carrin took it with her when she entered the Monasterio de la Pursima Concepcin. When the religious order downsized, the painting found its way into different lay hands, in the long run ending up with Plcido Lpez w ho lived in the barrio Chijini in la Paz.A small chapel was built to honor the Holy Trinity and then Bishop Augsto Scheifert direct two not-quite-expert artists to paint over the two side figures. They did so, but one, wanting to retouch the eyes, came back one night. When the remaining figure moved its head, the artist fled, but many favors or miracles were attributed to the Christ figure. Devotion grew and in 1939 the chapel was formally named Iglesia Parroquial del Gran Poder.In the years since, the festival of El Gran Poder has grown into an international celebration. Parades and processions with the dark figure of the Christ (see photo), music and costumed dancers honoring cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Of these, La Morenada is the most famous.Held p.a. at the beginning of June, the Fiesta del Gran Poder is La Pazs biggest street party. rich amount of local beers and food are consumed. Visitors wanting a place to stay during the celebrations make advance reservations.capital of Ohio DayOctober 12 (or the near Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the the Statess as the day Christopher capital of Ohio arrived in 1492.In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Da de la Raza, the Day of the Race.Da de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive.It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, Not anymore in Bolivia, because the strong feelings about the real situation of native americans on Spaniards Rule.A few historical facts behind the holidayCristbal Coln, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly judge theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He valued also to prove his calcula tions of the earths circumference.He was off on his calculations and he didnt find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small run of three ships, the Nia, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures.With over-embellished approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a excrete of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor specious in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his one-third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was horrific by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic.For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral an d regulator General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in degrade in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a tail and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dis honor and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate.Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for carry the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista.Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the mult i-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Da de la Raza.Note It was up to others to name the places where he had landed or to discover the route to China. Amerigo Vespucci named Venezuela afer his native Venice, and Vasco da Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean to the farther East, opening the Spice Route for Portugal.All Saints DayNovember 1 is celebrated throughout the Catholic world as Da de Todos Santos, or All Saints Day, to honor all the saints, known and unknown, of the Catholic faithful. Every day of the year has its own saint or saints, but there are more saints than calendar days, and this one major holy day honors them all, including those who had died in a state of grace but had not been canonized. And, to keep things fair, November 2 is celebrated as the Day of All Souls.Da de Todos Santosis also known as Da de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. equivalent many other Catholic celebrations, in the New World it was grafted onto an imated indigenous festivities to meld the newCatholicism with the oldpagan beliefs.In countries where the Europeans eventually reduced the indigenous populations, by one means or another, the celebrations gradually lost their native meaning and became more of a traditional Catholic event.In Latin American countries where the indigenous culture is still strong, such as in Guatemala and Mexico in Central America, and in Bolivia in South America, Da de Todos Santosis an important meld of many influences.In Central America, the dead are honored by visits to the their gravesites, often with food, flowers and all family members. In Bolivia, the dead are pass judgment to return to their homes and villages.The Andean emphasis is agricultural, since November 1 is in spring confederation of the Equator. It is the time of returning rains and the reflowering of the earth. The souls of the dead also return to reaffirm life.During this time, the doors are opened to guests, who enter with clean hands and share in the traditional dishes, particularly the favorites of the deceased. Tables are bedecked with bread figurines called tantawawas, sugarcane, chicha, candies and decorated pastries.At the cemeteries, the souls are greeted with more food, music, and prayers. Rather than a sad occasion, the Da de Todos Santos is a ecstatic event.In Peru, November 1 is celebrated nationally, but in Cuzco its known as Da de todos los Santos Vivos, or Day of the Living Saints and celebrated with food, particularly the famed suckling pig and tamales. November 2 is considered the Da de los Santos Difuntosor Day of the Deceased Saints and is honored with visits to cemeteries.Wherever you are in Latin America on the first and second of November, enjoy the local holidaysVirgen de CopacabanaA religios festival for the virgin of the snow. Mass, folkloric dancing and processions. 5th 6th Virgen de Copacabana Copacabana (La Paz).Celebration for the Virgin of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Tit icaca. Dancing, processions, folkloric displays.Virgen de Urcupia or Virgen de UrqupiaFestival in Quillacollo (Cochabamba). One of the most important religious festivals in Cochabamba. It is a colorful religious festival with a large mass, folkloric dancing, processions, typical food and the sale of miniature handicrafts.ChutillosThe Chutillos festival in Potosi is definitely worth it. Especially the first day with the trusty dances and costumes is marvelous.Virgen de GuadalupeFestivals celebrated in Viacha (La Paz), Sucre (Chuquisaca) and Valle Grande (Santa Cruz), but by far in Sucre is the biggest.A religious festival in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Folkloric dances, bull fights, music, dancing and typical food and drink.San RoqueFestival in Tarija, (Although the fiesta day of San Roque is officially on the 16th of August). An 8-day long celebration for the patron saint of dogs, San Roque. curious costumes, processions, music and dancing. The biggest party and typical of th e Tarija region with its unique music style. all(prenominal) year on January 24 a large marketplace in La Paz, Bolivia, is full of merchants who traditionally call out, Alasitas, an Aymara word meaning buy from me, to potential buyers of their miniature wares. Shoppers can find tiny replicas of just about every kind of object-cars, houses, foods, furniture, clothes, tools, household goods, and, especially, money-and seek those which represent items they would like to have in the coming year. After purchasing the miniature object of ones desire, the next step is to take it to church to have it blessed.Presiding over all this downsized duty is Ekeko, an Aymara god of material wealth, fertility, and good luck. Ekeko is represented as a stout little man who wears a backpack full of goods and whose arms are stretched out, as if in an attitude of acquisition. Many people keep ceramic figures of Ekeko in their homes for good luck.MaldivesThe Maldives will hold a Hay festival starting Oc tober 14 with the intention of celebrating ideas, conversations and fun.The festival will bring unneurotic international and local experts in literature, art, science, drama, music and poetry, according to a contention from the Presidents Office.Maldivian writers including Ogaru Ibrahim Waheed and Fathmath Nahula will join historian and biographer Jung Chang ( reason of Wild Swans and Mao), novelist Ian McEwan (author of Atonement) and environmental campaigners Montagu Don, Tim Smit, Mark Lynas and Chris Gorell-Barnes.Mauritian-born, electronic concretion artist Ravin will perform and local bands will embroil Fasy Live. Lectures will also be delivered online by prominent artists, scientists and historians.The Maldives has been a multi-party state for only two years and this new freedom has opened up a host of new opportunities both culturally and politically, the statement said.Some events will be held on the Presidential Retreat on Aarah, allowing rarefied public access to the island.The Hay Festival began in the Welsh book town of Hay-on-Wye in Brecon Beacons National Park in the UK, and has fostered the exchange of ideas for more than twenty years.Hay Festival Maldives will commission a series of lectures to be delivered online by prominent artists, scientists and historians. These will debate environments that are set about transformation over the next one hundred years and what this means for the people living there.Speakers include historian and biographer Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans and Mao, the novelist Ian McEwan, author of Atonement, and environmental writers and campaigners Montagu Don, Mark Lynas and Tim Smit. They will appear alongside Maldivian writers including Ogaru Ibrahim Waheed and Fathmath Nahula. Mauritian-born, electronic fusion artist Ravin provides musical enchantment, and local bands performing include Fasy Live.As well as the live events, Hay Festival Maldives