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Day of the Skulls in Bolivia

Name: Day of the Skulls in Bolivia
Start: 2026-11-08T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-11-08
Location: Bolivia

Day of the Skulls in Bolivia is held on November 8. Dia de los ñatitas. This event in the first decade of the month November is annual.

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8 November - Day of the Skulls in Bolivia

The festival of the Ñatitas is a traditional rite of the Andes of Bolivia that is celebrated every November 8 in gratitude to the deceased for the favors and care that people receive from them. It consists of venerating one or several human skulls.

It is said that the rite dates back to pre-Columbian times, when the deceased were venerated and carried out on litters to meet their ajayus (Aymara word meaning "soul", "soul" or "spirit") and their families. It is also believed that his cult comes from the ancient empire of Tiwanaku, when the heads of ancestors were kept to claim rain in times of drought or to drive away storms, and that these did not destroy houses or crops.

Similar holidays and events, festivals and interesting facts

Day of the Dead in Bolivia on November 2 (Dia de los Muertos is the day when Bolivian families celebrate, commemorate and farewell the visiting dead);