Once blessings have been received from both sects, car owners ceremoniously splash a few pints of beer on their vehicle. This unusual practice is largely done for celebration, although some believe it helps quench the thirst of Pachamama as well.
It’s customary for celebrants to finish off a case of beer prior to the event, ideally staying overnight in a local hotel to sleep it off rather than attempt to drive all the way home.
Religion through history
There’s no doubt that religion has always been at the forefront in this strange Bolivian town. Nestled on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana is just a short boat ride away from the Isla del Sol, a sacred island which the Inca believed to be the birthplace of the sun.
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Historians at first thought the town was named after ‘kota kahuana’, anAymara phrase for ‘view of the lake’. Sometime later, a Spanish scholar found out that Kotakawana was the Andean god of fertility, with the latter discovery of phallic nearby shrines giving credence to his salacious claim.
Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana | © Dan Lundberg / Flickr | © Dan Lundberg / Flickr
With the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s, Copacabana became sacred once again.
An Inca Catholic convert by the name of Francisco Tito Yupanqui was living in Copacabana when he decided to craft a statue of a virgin to honor his quaint lakeside town. After embarking on an epic journey to learn the art of sculpture from a master craftsman in PotosÃ, Yupanqui eventually made his way back home with the newly crafted ‘Virgin of Copacabana’ in hand.
Before long, the statue was credited with numerous miracles throughout the lands: those who dared to disbelieve in her power saw their crops wilt and die, while faithful worshippers received a bountiful harvest year after year. In the 1600s, a Catholic priest documented 132 supposed miracles attributed to this one statue alone.
Her most famous marvel, however, pertains to a group of Brazillian fishermen who were caught in a terrible storm. Just minutes from death, they were suddenly saved by an apparition of the Virgin of Copacabana. The story held such reverence throughout the continent that Rio de Janeiro’s most famous beach was eventually given the statue’s name.
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Source link : https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/bolivia/articles/blessing-automobiles-with-beer-and-other-strange-customs-in-copacabana-bolivia
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Publish date : 2019-12-16 03:00:00
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