Tapati Rapa Nui, Rapa Nui, Chile
When: First half of February (2027 dates TBC) Why: For traditional sports and Polynesian culture What: Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is Latin America’s most distant outpost. Though part of Chile, it sits 2,200 miles west of the mainland in the South Pacific and has a culture more closely aligned with Polynesia than South America. The best time to experience the traditions of the Rapa Nui people is during the island’s main festival, Tapati Rapa Nui. Held for a week each February, the event celebrates the island’s Polynesian heritage through a brilliant — and often bonkers — programme of sport, music and dance. Rival clans compete throughout in the hope of having their chosen candidates crowned Tapati Queen and King. Events range from canoe races and contests on traditional bodyboards to horse racing and the hair-raising haka pei, in which competitors hurtle down steep hillsides on sledges made from banana trunks. As night falls, the focus shifts from sport to celebration, with music, dancing and cultural performances before the festival culminates in a colourful closing ceremony. How to do it: It’s a five-hour flight from Chile’s capital Santiago to Easter Island. Arrive early to secure a vantage point for the biggest events.
latamairlines.com
easterislandspirit.com
Festa de Iemanjá, Brazil
When: 2 February Why: For samba music and Afro-Brazilian culture What: Of all Latin America’s varied folk traditions, perhaps the most enchanting is Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion that combines elements of Catholic ritual with West African traditions brought to Brazil by enslaved people. Like samba and capoeira, Candomblé is a powerful expression of Afro-Brazilian identity, and its heartland is Salvador, in the state of Bahía. Every 2 February, hundreds of thousands of Candomblé practitioners gather on Salvador’s Rio Vermelho beach, dressed in blue-and-white robes and carrying baskets of flowers, which they place onto waiting wooden fishing boats as offerings to Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea. The main time for these offerings is sunrise, although many revellers avoid the need for an early alarm clock by staying up all night, drinking cachaça (sugarcane spirit), eating acarajé (bean fritters) and dancing to the sound of samba. How to do it: Salvador is easy to reach by air, with its international airport served by direct flights from Lisbon, Paris and Madrid among European cities. Dressing in white, with touches of light blue, will help you fit in with the locals. Tickets can be purchased online.
festadeiemanja.com.br
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