(26 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Guaqui, Bolivia – 25 July 2025
1. Various of dancers in traditional attire performing on a reed boat
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Veronica Jauregui, dancer:
++ PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 1-4 ++
"He (Saint James the Apostle) is very fair. If we say let’s dance, we have to dance with all our heart. We can’t say ‘yes, I’m going to dance, or only maybe I’m going to.’ But that’s the faith we have. I mean, with the bottom of our heart. Sometimes we worry because if he is sad, then something bad is going to happen."
3. Festival attendees gathered around decorated boats
4. Various of dancers in traditional attire performing on a reed boat
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Huataqui Torrico, dancer:
++STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT, PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOT 6++
"I dance because I have a lot of faith. What I ask is that Tata Santiago (Saint James the Apostle) always fills us with blessings, all of us who live in this planet and those of us who have a religious spirit."
6. Dancers and musicians gathered in front of the decorated Church of Santiago of Guaqui
STORYLINE:
A unique and ancient tradition unfolded Friday on Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca during the annual festivities honoring Saint James the Apostle.
In the town of Guaqui, devotees performed the "Morenada" dance atop fragile ‘totora’ reed boats, creating a distinctive spectacle on a small lagoon.
This "floating dance" is deeply rooted in local belief.
Participants undertake the challenging feat as an act of supplication, seeking to calm Saint James.
The ritual is performed to implore the saint’s forgiveness for the past year and to secure his vital protection and blessings for the year ahead.
It is widely believed that any dancer who loses their balance and falls from a totora boat during the Morenada will face a full year of bad luck.
AP Video shot by Carlos Guerrero
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8b8722f550544f308f268177c1aac218
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in July 31, 2025, 3:05 am.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
