alasitas festival

On 24 January, many of our congregation at St Katharine Cree came together with the Confobol Bolivian community to celebrate the Alasitas Festival, sharing traditions, faith and community through music, dance and a lively marketplace.

Alasitas has deep roots in indigenous Andean and Catholic traditions. Originally it celebrated Ekeko, the god of abundance, who many believe can make thoughtful, hand-crafted offerings come to life. Market consumers in Bolivia would traditionally buy miniature versions of what they hope for and offer them to Ekeko, often with a lit cigarette, a prayer, or a sprinkle of alcohol in acknowledgement of Pachamama (Mother Earth). Many would also bring these miniatures into Catholic churches, where priests bless them with holy water, bringing Andean customs to Catholic faith. Speaking in Peru in 1985, then Pope John Paul II said of the indigenous veneration of both Pachamama and Mary that:

"Your ancestors, by paying tribute to the earth, were doing nothing other than recognizing the goodness of God and his beneficent presence, which provided them food by means of the land they cultivated."

At St Katharine Cree, we were delighted to use our space to honour the Bolivian community while sharing our faith by gifting Epiphany home blessing kits, inviting prayers for peace, welcome, and blessing in people’s homes. Members of both communities, including Bolivians, Peruvians, Ecuadorians, and Colombians, showed their shared hospitality and respect for one another by selling and buying handmade goods, second-hand clothing, books, food, and drink.