La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz, is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolitan area, which is formed by La Paz, El Alto, Achocalla, Viacha, and Mecapaca makes up the second most populous urban area in Bolivia, with a population of 2.2 million, after Santa Cruz de la Sierra with a population of 2.3 million. It is also the capital of the La Paz Department.
The Ekeko is the Tiwanakan god of abundance and prosperity in the mythology and folklore of the people from the Altiplano. Its chief importance in popular culture is as the main figure of the annual Alasitas fair, a cultural event that happens every January 24 in La Paz, Bolivia. The Ekeko is a traditional god of luck and prosperity popular in the western region of Bolivia. In Peru the main festival is celebrated on May 3 of every year in the city of Puno, on the Machallata hill.
The Kalibo Santo Niño—Ati-Atihan Festival, also simply called Ati-Atihan Festival, is a Philippine festival held annually in January in honor of the Santo Niño in several towns of the province of Aklan, Panay Island. The biggest celebration is held during the third Sunday of January in the town of Kalibo, the province's capital. The name Ati-Atihan means "to imitate the Ati people".
The carnival in Colombia was introduced by the Spaniards. The Colombian carnival has incorporated elements from European culture, and has managed to syncretise, or re-interpret, traditions that belonged to the African and Amerindian cultures of Colombia. There is documentary evidence that the carnival existed in Colombia in the 17th century and had already caused concern to the colonial authorities, who censored the celebrations, especially in the main centers of power such as Cartagena, Bogotá and Popayán. The carnival, therefore, continued its evolution and re-interpretation in the small and at that time unimportant towns where celebrations did not offend the ruling elites. The result was the uninterrupted celebration of carnival festivals in Barranquilla, and other villages along the lower Magdalena River in northern Colombia, and in Pasto, Nariño in the south of the country. In modern times, there have been attempts to introduce the carnival in the capital, Bogotá, in the early 20th century, but it has always failed to gain the approval of authorities. The Bogotá Carnival has had to wait until the 21st century to be resurrected, this time, by the authorities of the city. Colombia is recognized by its large variety of festivals, carnivals and fairs. Most towns have their own, ranging from those celebrating coffee to the ones held in honor of the town's Saint feast. The common characteristics of the festivals are the nomination of a beauty Queen and the setting up of public dance floor.
Pukllay or phukllay is a traditional festival held in the central Andes. The word "play" refers to either the clouds or the blossoms "playing" in the winds at the end of the rainy season and thus harvesting time. The Bolivian Pukllay is connected to the Christian carnival and the celebration of a battle won over the Spaniards – hence the appropriation of the Spanish helmets and spurs one can still see in the ritual dance.
Cali Fair is a cultural event held in Cali, Colombia from December 25 to December 30. It is a celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties.
Algemesí is a municipality in the comarca of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain.
Quyllurit'i or Qoyllur Rit'i is a syncretic religious festival held annually at the Sinakara Valley in the southern highlands Cusco Region of Peru. Local indigenous people of the Andes know this festival as a native celebration of the stars. In particular they celebrate the reappearance of the Pleiades constellation, known in Quechua as Qullqa, or "storehouse," and associated with the upcoming harvest and New Year. The Pleiades disappears from view in April and reappears in June. The new year is marked by indigenous people of the Southern Hemisphere on the Winter Solstice in June, and it is also a Catholic festival. The people have celebrated this period of time for hundreds if not thousands of years. The pilgrimage and associated festival was inscribed in 2011 on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
The Kullawada, kullahuada, cullaguada or kullawa is a dance practiced in Bolivia and Peru and there is controversy about the origin of the dance between Bolivia and Peru. The name of the dance derives from the word kullawa, in reference to its dancers. In Bolivia, kullawada is danced mainly in the Carnaval de Oruro, the Fiesta del Gran Poder, the Festividad de la Virgen de Urkupiña and the Festividad de Chutillos. In Peru the dance is represented in the Fiesta de la Candelaria.
The Morenada is an Andean folk dance whose origins are still under debate. This dance is practiced mainly in Bolivia as well as in Peru and in recent years with Bolivian immigration in Chile, Argentina and other countries.
Tourism in Bolivia is one of the key economic sectors of the country. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia (INE), there were over 1.24 million tourists that visited the country in 2020, making Bolivia the ninth most visited country in South America.
The Diablada, also known as the Danza de los Diablos, is an Andean folk dance performed in Bolivia, in the Altiplano region of South America, characterized by performers wearing masks and costumes representing the devil and other characters from pre-Columbian theology and mythology. combined with Spanish and Christian elements added during the colonial era. Many scholars have concluded that the dance is descended from the Llama llama dance in honor of the Uru god Tiw, and the Aymaran ritual to the demon Anchanchu, both originating in pre-Columbian Bolivia
A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries.
The Columbian Festivals are a set of annual celebrations in the city of Huelva, Andalusia to commemorate the first voyage of Christopher Columbus. They occur for a week at the end of July and beginning of August, the main day being 3 August, the date in 1492 on which Columbus departed Palos de la Frontera, on the voyage that brought him to the Americas. The festivities have been declared to be of National Tourist Interest.
Elizabeth Cristina Salguero Carrillo is a Bolivian diplomat, journalist, politician, and women's rights activist who served as minister of cultures from 2011 to 2012. A member of the Movement for Socialism, she previously served as a party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies from La Paz from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, she was elected as a substitute party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies from La Paz but resigned before taking office in order to launch an ultimately unsuccessful La Paz mayoral campaign. From 2012 to 2015, she served as ambassador of Bolivia to Germany, and since then has worked as an international expert in strategic planning at UN Women.
The Festivity of La Mare de Déu de la Salut is a festival celebrated in Algemesí (Valencia), Spain, from August 29 to September 8. The festival is in honour of the patron saint of Algemesí, La Mare de Déu de la Salut, and has been dated back to 1247. The holiday was awarded the UNESCO "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" designation on November 28, 2011.
Waka Waka or Waka ThuqhuriTinti Waka from Aidan Perry is an urban popular dance from Bolivia and Perú. Its autochthonous origin is found in the Municipality of Umala, Province of Aroma, Department of La Paz and the Municipality of Acora, Province of Puno, Department of Puno. There are other variants, such as the native of Waka Tinti originally from the community of Cairiri, the municipality of Umala, the Province of Aroma de La Paz, Tinti Caballo and the native of Waka Tinki originally from the Paxsiamaya region, Prov. Los Andes of the Department of La Paz.
Pirca Pirca is an archaeological site in Peru. It is located in the Lima Region, Yauyos Province, Tanta District. Pirca Pirca was declared a National Cultural Heritage of Peru by Resolución Viceministerial No. 011-2013-VMPCIC-MC on February 7, 2013. It lies north of Lake Paucarcocha.
The Ruta del Tambor y el Bombo is an Easter celebration that takes place in nine towns in the province of Teruel, southeastern Aragon, Spain. These towns include Albalate del Arzobispo, Alcañiz, Alcorisa, Andorra, Calanda, Híjar, la Puebla de Híjar, Samper de Calanda, and Urrea de Gaén. During Holy Week, many residents wear traditional tunics and play drums and bass drums in processions and at specific events. The combined sound of the drums creates a distinctive noise.
Sebiba is the term used in Algeria to designate a festival and the Tuareg people's dance performed on this occasion and accompanied by female drummers in the Sahara oasis of Djanet in the Tassili n'Ajjer region in southern Algeria. The dance originated among the descendants of black African slaves and is part of the celebrations for the Islamic Ashura Festival. The dance was recognized by UNESCO in 2014 for its significance to humanity's intangible cultural heritage.
