40. Fiesta de la Tirana - Chile

Every year in the second week of July, more than 200,000 people gather to celebrate Chile’s most popular festival:?The Fiesta de la Tirana. It is held in the tiny town of La Tirana, located in the Tarapacá region about 70 km inland from the coastal city of Iquique, the festivities are marked by music – especially ‘northern music’ typical of Altiplano culture – as well as dancing and fireworks, all in honour of the Virgen del Carmen (also known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel), one of the various invocations of the Virgin Mary and the patron saint of Chile.

Brief History of the festival :

The legend behind the festival goes back colonial times when ?usta Huillac, an Incan princess who rebelled against the European conquerers in the 1540s. Taking refuge in an oasis near Iquique, she was known for ruthlessly executing or enslaving any Europeans or Christians who encroached on her territory – which is how she got the name La Tirana, meaning ‘the tyrant’.?

As the story goes, ?usta Huillac eventually fell in love with one of her prisoners, Vasco de Almeida, and converted to Christianity in order to marry him (or, according to some accounts, to join him in the afterlife). Betrayed and furious, her outraged community killed both the princess and her lover.

A church, Santuario de Nuestra Se?ora del Carmen de La Tirana, was erected at their burial site in the 18th century and dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen (also known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel), one of the various invocations of the Virgin Mary. The mother of Jesus is colloquially called?La Chinita?by the locals. Today, it’s a place of pilgrimage and devotion for thousands of faithful believers and curious tourists – and a central point of the Fiesta de la Tirana.

Dancing And Diabladas

Though it’s first and foremost religious in nature, the Fiesta de la Tirana – like all good celebrations – is observed with an exuberant mix of ancient customs and more modern traditions.

The festival’s main component is the dances performed by various groups called?bailes, who come to dance before the statue of the Virgen del Carmen in the sanctuary. In the days leading up to 16 July, members of the?bailes?hold performances to greet the Virgin, or ‘La Chinita’, as the locals call her. As the dancers make their way through the streets of the town to the sanctuary, thousands of visitors gather to watch the different dances that emerge around the Virgin.

Furthermore, on 15 July, a vigil is held with music, bonfires and fireworks, celebrating the stroke of midnight and the arrival of the most important day of the festival, 16 July, the feast day of the Virgen del Carmen. It is observed in La Tirana with a grand procession carrying the statue of the Virgin through the streets. The locals usually celebrate with great devotion, and hundreds of people come to the church of La Tirana to pay their penances before the Virgin, or in gratitude for the healing of an illness.

Yet even if the motivations are rooted in the Christian tradition, the origins of the festival’s colourful costumes, vigorous dances and rhythmic music date back to pre-Hispanic times. Some of the key dances include:

Diabladas –?The most iconic and perhaps most ancient dance of the festival, the?diablada?sees male dancers wearing frightening devil-like masks, and female dancers moving coquettishly with their hands on their hips. Gitanos, Antwaras and Kayahuallas are some of the other dance forms part of the festival.

How to Reach there :

Lodgings in La Tirana are scarce, so the best option is to book a hotel in Iquique. However, if you’re a daring traveller who enjoys an adventure, then by all means bring some camping gear and stay with the?baile?groups in their encampments. Do not forget to bring comfortable clothes, since La Tirana has a hot, dry desert climate.

Would like to be a part of this festival soon ?