When is Alasitas?
In 2026, Alasitas falls on Saturday, January 24, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Alasitas
Alasitas is a living ritual fair most strongly associated with La Paz. People obtain tiny versions of desired goods — houses, certificates, food, money or travel symbols — and link them to wishes for prosperity, work, health and well-being.
Its central figure is Ekeko, associated with abundance. Catholic blessing and Aymara ritual practice may meet in the same celebration, an example of the layered religious and cultural history of the Andes rather than a simple or uniform custom.
UNESCO inscribed the ritual journeys in La Paz during Alasita on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Alasitas is not a nationwide statutory day off; fair dates and local programmes are announced annually.
The ritual journey often moves from purchasing a miniature to having it blessed by an Aymara ritual specialist and, for some participants, by a Catholic priest. Miniatures are activated through intention, exchange and care rather than treated merely as souvenirs. UNESCO emphasises that families transmit the practice and that it strengthens social relationships and optimism.
How Alasitas is observed
Alasitas is a cultural observance, not a national public holiday. La Paz fairs, miniature goods, blessings and family visits typically begin around January 24.
Traditions of Alasitas
Choosing meaningful miniatures
Participants buy tiny houses, degrees, currency, vehicles or other objects that represent concrete hopes rather than simply collecting decorative souvenirs.
Ritual and Catholic blessings
Miniatures may receive blessings from Aymara ritual specialists and Catholic priests, showing layered practices without making either form obligatory.
Ekeko and abundance
Figures of Ekeko carry miniature goods associated with provision and prosperity, and households care for them according to family understandings.
The noon opening
January 24 activity traditionally intensifies around midday, when buyers, artisans and ritual practitioners begin the fair’s principal cycle in La Paz.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Bolivia cultural, civic or religious guidance. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Bolivia may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Bolivia Supreme Decree No. 2750: national holiday calendar and Sunday transfers, Bolivia Ministry of Labour: 2026 official holiday agenda (Supreme Decree No. 5521), Political Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Encyclopaedia Britannica: History of Bolivia.
Continue exploring