Today I joined up with the two German girls in my dorm room. Together, we explored what Oruro has to offer besides the carnival. We quickly found out that, at least during carnival, there is nothing else. So instead, we looked at carnival behind the scenes.
In one street close to the start of the parade, we found a row of make-up tents where participants were getting their hair and make-up done:
A little further, there was a street with several carnival-related shops, such as this one selling traditional costumes:
Or this one, selling the heavier masks and costumes worn by the Morenada groups:
We also climbed the mirador - no small feat at 3700m of altitude. This is the view from above - can you see the carnival?
In the area where the parade ended, there were many tents providing relaxation (and drinking) opportunities for the dancers:
We also got a good look at the hairdos of the female dancers. Almost all of them had elaborate braids like this, often adorned with strips of cloth matching the costume's colors:
As you can see in the make-up tent picture, they also used fake braids for all those girls whose hair wasn't long enough ;-)
In the evening, we went to look at the parade once more. The difference to yesterday was obvious: there was no more police to keep order, and thus the street was often full with partying spectators. Many of the dancers didn't wear their masks, but instead carried them in their hands. Towards the end, both participants and spectators got increasingly drunk, to the extent that some groups were not identifiable as a coherent group anymore. Most did a good job, however, and the overall party atmosphere was very enjoyable :-)
In one street close to the start of the parade, we found a row of make-up tents where participants were getting their hair and make-up done:
A little further, there was a street with several carnival-related shops, such as this one selling traditional costumes:
Or this one, selling the heavier masks and costumes worn by the Morenada groups:
We also climbed the mirador - no small feat at 3700m of altitude. This is the view from above - can you see the carnival?
In the area where the parade ended, there were many tents providing relaxation (and drinking) opportunities for the dancers:
We also got a good look at the hairdos of the female dancers. Almost all of them had elaborate braids like this, often adorned with strips of cloth matching the costume's colors:
As you can see in the make-up tent picture, they also used fake braids for all those girls whose hair wasn't long enough ;-)
In the evening, we went to look at the parade once more. The difference to yesterday was obvious: there was no more police to keep order, and thus the street was often full with partying spectators. Many of the dancers didn't wear their masks, but instead carried them in their hands. Towards the end, both participants and spectators got increasingly drunk, to the extent that some groups were not identifiable as a coherent group anymore. Most did a good job, however, and the overall party atmosphere was very enjoyable :-)
