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Postcard from Bolivia: Carnaval in Oruro

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About 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians parade over four miles at the Oruro Carnaval.

Just because new missioners Annemarie Barrett and Jeff Sved are in language school right now doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun.

Our missioners joined about seven other classmates from the Maryknoll Language Institute to experience the most famous of Bolivia’s Carnaval celebrations in Oruru, Bolivia.

Annemarie (far left) and Jeff (third from left) with classmate. To the right of Jeff are Lexi and Marc, two Maryknoll lay missioners whom our missioners met during training.

The festival take place every year in the 10 days leading up the Lent, and UNESCO has named it one of the the “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.”

Annemarie at Carnaval in Oruro

Here’s what Annemarie had to say about her experience:

“It was a privilege to be able to travel to Oruro and see first hand the traditions and dances that we’ve been learning about at the Language Institute. The celebration of Carnaval in Oruro seemed to be a great source of pride for so many of the Bolivians we’ve met. After watching the parade of dancers for nearly six hours, I can see why!”


Thank you, Annemarie, for sending in the photos!

We prepare and support lay Catholics for two-year international, one-year domestic and 1-2 week short-term mission service opportunities in solidarity with impoverished and marginalized communities across the globe.

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