Fiesta and Dancing: Community and Religion

Abstract

This chapter deals with the fiesta or religious festivity in El Alto, Bolivia, and the power attached to dancing. As in the case of social protests, fiestas are an important manifestation of communal values. However, while social protests are joined by the majority of the households, fiestas are attended in the majority of the cases by Catholics and a few Protestants. Differences between the various Protestant congregations are important sources of analysis in my work. On one hand, orthodox Protestants, such as the ones in the neighbourhood of Senkata (who are Seventh Day Adventists) refuse to participate in the fiesta, pay tributes to the Mother Earth, or become godparents. On the other hand, there are other Evangelicals, such as the ones in the neighbourhood of Amachuma, who belong to the Baptist Congregation and embrace various religious beliefs, emphasising the importance of community rather than a strict adherence to a religious code.