A man carries a decorated human skull after praying at the General Cemetery during the Natitas Festival in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Celebrated a week after the Day of the Dead, Bolivians carry human skulls adorned with flowers to cemeteries asking for money, health, and other favors as part of a festival. (Juan Karita/Associated Press)LA PAZ, Bolivia — Carrying human skulls adorned with flowers and coca leaves, hundreds of people danced to cheerful music and prayed for favors Thursday in an annual festival outside a cemetery chapel in Bolivia’s capital. Experts say it was common in pre-Columbian times to keep skulls as trophies and display them to symbolize death and rebirth. The Catholic Church considers the festival to be pagan, but it doesn’t ban people from taking part.

Source: Washington Post November 08, 2018 19:07 UTC