Catholic faith and Andean ritual come together on Three Kings Day in Bolivia

The fourth wave of the covid-19 pandemic that shakes Bolivia did not prevent people from massively attending this Thursday listen to mass and bless the images of the Child Jesus under the Catholic faith, some also with Andean rituals, on the day of the Magi.

One of the busiest temples in La Paz was the Basilica of San Francisco, where hundreds of people formed long lines to enter, because although a mass was celebrated every hour, the influx was high and with the help of police they tried to control the capacity so that there were no crowds.

Some came as a family, others went alone, but all carried with great faith and what different treasures effigies of the Child Jesus of all sizes.

In boxes, on trays, among cottons and delicate fabrics, in baskets decorated with veils and lace, in urns, dressed in different colored robes, others with the traditional aguayo woven by the indigenous women of the Altiplano, the images entered the temple for mass. and the subsequent blessing of the priest.

The celebration is fine, we have had mass very early, quite a few people have come. Thank God the temple is large, so it gives us the possibility of being able to shelter them.

Priest Ben Hur Soto, guardian of the Convent of San Francisco and rector of the basilica

Before the pandemic, people waited at the end of mass to be sprinkled with holy water, but now people are asked to stay in their places and a general blessing is made to avoid crowds.

“The celebration is fine, we have had the mass very early, a lot of people have come. Thank God the temple is large, so it gives us the possibility of being able to shelter them ”, The guardian of the Convent of San Francisco and rector of the basilica, priest Ben Hur Soto, told EFE.

Soto explained that on this date the Epiphany of the Lord is commemorated, that is, the manifestation of Jesus to the world, for which he expressed his confidence that people come to Mass with faith “and not only for making the Child walk.”

Beliefs and rituals

In the atrium of San Francisco a small market was set up with vendors who offered clothing for the Child God, from tunics, crowns, sandals, “polcos”, as knitted booties for babies are called in Bolivia, to baskets, beds, veils and elegant boxes to transport the images.

“In Reyes, the Child is made to listen to mass and then they keep it. They want their clothes to put away, that’s why we have come to the door of the church ”, Justina, a 70-year-old woman who has been selling since she was 18, told Efe.

Justina remembers that before, everything that was sold was fabric, whereas now sewing and clothing styles have been “modernized”.

The seller explained that there are several beliefs around buying clothing for the images, as some people do it so that they do not lack clothes themselves, and others, with the faith that prosperity accompanies them throughout the year.

As soon as the masses are over, the bells of the “Amautas” or Aymara sages stationed in front of the doors of the temple, which seek to capture the attention of the parishioners so that they come to smoke the images of the Child Jesus.

In Bethlehem, the three Wise Men, Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar, anointed him at his birth. In the same way we make children with frankincense and myrrh and also ask for health for the family.

‘Amauta’ Mariano Condori

The “amautas” have burning braziers to which they put incense and pass the effigies above the smoke in the midst of prayers with the requests of the families who approach them.

“In Bethlehem, the three Wise Men, Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar, anointed him at his birth. In the same way, we make children with frankincense and myrrh and also asking for health for the family, ”explained to Efe the “amauta” Mariano Condori.

“As there is now the coronavirus disease”, what is most requested is health and protection against disease, he added.

The festivity of the Magi closes the Christmas celebrations. (I)