Fiesta de la Tirana is an annual festival held in the locality of
La Tirana
La Tirana is a Chilean town in the commune of Pozo Almonte in El Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region. The town lies in an oasis in the middle of the Pampa del Tamarugal, about 72 km inland from the port of Iquique.
The town is notable for ...
in the
Tarapacá Region
The Tarapacá Region ( es, Región de Tarapacá, ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Iquique and Tamarugal. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Oruro D ...
of northern
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. The celebration takes place on July 16 in honor of the ''
Virgen del Carmen
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Car ...
''. La Tirana is the biggest geographically localized religious festivity in Chile and attracts between 200,000 and 250,000 visitors during the week of celebrations, while the village's permanent population normally numbers 1,200 inhabitants.
Dancing is a big part of the celebrations of Fiesta de La Tirana, and dance groups and pilgrims dance before the virgin. "The doors of the “temple,” or sanctuary, at La Tirana are formally opened on July 10, and bailes make their entrada from July 11-14. Each baile is assigned a specific time for entry, and the same order applies for departure at the end of the week. The baile dances first at a plaza at the entrance to the town, in front of the statue of the Cruz del Calvario, or Calvary Cross. Normally there is a priest there to formally welcome and bless the group at the Cruz Calvario."
[Thomas M Landy]
"Dancing for the Virgin at La Tirana"
''Catholics & Cultures'' updated February 17, 2017
See also
*
Marian Days
*
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiesta De La Tirana
La Tirana
La Tirana is a Chilean town in the commune of Pozo Almonte in El Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region. The town lies in an oasis in the middle of the Pampa del Tamarugal, about 72 km inland from the port of Iquique.
The town is notable for ...
Tourist attractions in Tarapacá Region
July observances
Marian feast days
Winter events in Chile