Soccer and Entrada de Urkupiña

On Sunday the 12th I went to the ¨clásico¨ soccer game between the two teams of Cochabamba: Wilstermann and Aurora. Ian sided with Andrés and Aurora (the underdogs) and it was decided that I would side with Lucho and Wilstermann since I had a red T-shirt:)

The game was less boring than I expected it to be:) Our team won 2-0 and when a goal was made they would send up red smoke and make A LOT of noise. After the game I almost got drenched when someone from above dropped water (or something) down onto some girls wearing Aurora gear (luckily I was with the winning team:) )

The entrada de Unrkupiña is basically the opening celebration for the festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña which took place from the 14th to the 16th. I went to the parade which was really interesting. There were lots of really pretty and interesting costumes along with different kinds of traditional dance.

Traditionally on the second night of the festival many people walk 15 km to the site if the virgin where they chisle off a piece of rock, get it blessed, and pray for something they need. Then, if during the next year the thing that they prayed for comes true, they should walk back and returm the rock. Another tradition involves buying a miniture represting the thing you are praying for. So you might buy a mini house or car or office (good luck in work) etc. I went to part of this festival with Carolina, the mother of a girl f rom our Dept. at OSU, and she got me a mini suitcase filled with money, passport, credit cards, plane tickets, for a safe journey. Then we had it blessed at the chuch you see below.