"The streets of Oruro, a high-altitude mining town in the Andes, have been filled with colour and song at the start of Bolivia's largest annual festival, La Diablada or Devil's Carnival."

The costumes including masks are quite elaborate, and gorgeous in my opinion.

Another brightly ornate mask

"Oruro is a mining town and the locals, spending so much time underground, decided to adopt a god of the underworld. Christian tradition dictates that this must be the devil and the Oruro faithful thus adopted Satan, or Supay, as their god. They would perform sacrifices to the devil on a regular basis to ensure their safety in the mines and the devil dancing in the carnival derives from their belief in Satan as their protector underground.

These days, the procession tends to focus more on the patron saint of mining, the Virgen del Sovacón and Pachamama (Mother Earth) than the devil, but devil dances are still an important part of the proceedings."

Tis' the season for carnivals as Spring is approaching, however this one is a party I would love to attend!

Image Credits: BBC

Travel Info: What's On When