nPostednon January 25, 2014
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nThis South American fair is a celebration of the miniature. It is a festival of prosperity andnabundance.
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nAndnit is a very, very old tradition!
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nBeforenBolivia was an independent nation, before it was a Spanish colony,nbefore it was part of the Incan Empire, it was the Tiwanakan Empirenof the Aymara people. And one of the gods was Ekeko, a little mannwith a big belly and a pack on his back. During this festival,nfigures of Ekeko are on sale—statues showing the god with his mouthnopen and his arms spread wide, ready to spread good luck.
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Alsonon sale are miniatures of all sorts – teeny houses and baby dolls,nlittle replicas of clothing and food, tiny pots and pans, itsy-bitsyncars and university diplomas, and miniature replicas of almostnanything you could think of!
Alsonon sale are miniatures of all sorts – teeny houses and baby dolls,nlittle replicas of clothing and food, tiny pots and pans, itsy-bitsyncars and university diplomas, and miniature replicas of almostnanything you could think of!n
nEspeciallynpopular: mini-money! Of course there are a lot of tiny replicas ofndollar bills and Bolivianos (the currency of the nation).
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nPeoplenbuy miniatures of the real items that they want in the coming year,nand they put them into Ekeko’s pack! (A variation involves a statuenwearing a handwoven poncho; the miniature items are pinned to thenponcho.)
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nBynthe way, the name of the fair, Alasitas, is the Aymaran wordnfor “buy from me.” It is what merchants call out to attractnpeople to buy their miniatures, their Ekeko figurines, or theirnfull-sized food or handicrafts. There are also lots of carnival gamesnand rides to enjoy at the fair!
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nInlove miniatures!
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nIfnI were ever to travel to Bolivia, I would love to go during the AlasitasnFair. It would be so fun to buy handcrafted items in miniature, don’tnyou think? Easier to display than full-sized items, too!
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Herenin the U.S., most people who are into miniatures often either buildnand furnish dollhouses or play war games.
Herenin the U.S., most people who are into miniatures often either buildnand furnish dollhouses or play war games.n
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nInhave been to at least two miniature museums—a FANTASTIC one in LosnAngeles that is, sadly, no longer in existence, and the amazing Old West Miniature Village and Museum in Cody, Wyoming. I make anfew miniature scenes with small-scale Christmas decorations everynyear. So much fun!
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nAlsonon this date:
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A Room of One’s Own Day
A Room of One’s Own Day
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nDaynof Serpents in Lithuania
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nDaynof Serpents in Lithuania
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nBurn’snNight in Scotland
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nBurn’snNight in Scotland
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nRussiannStudents’ Day
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nRussiannStudents’ Day
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nPlannahead!
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nPlannahead!
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJanuaryn birthdays
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nAndnhere are my boards for:
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