Facebook
Twitter
Peru Travel: Semana Santa in Ayacucho
Waving bright red bandanas and wearing red t-shirts on Saturday morning, an eager crowd awaited the arrival of the Pascua Toro, or the Easter Bull in Ayacucho. His arrival announced the beginning of the final day of Semana Santa, which would end with an extraordinary procession outside the Cathedral at 5:30am Sunday morning.
Friday night procession in the main square.
Though the celebration had lasted all week, standing amidst the people, the crowds showed no signs of weariness. In fact, many were already celebrating the grand finale with morning ice creams, popcorn, and cervezas. Without introduction, the people ahead of us suddenly scattered to allow a beaming cowboy break through towing a wild bull behind him. Amongst gleeful screams, we tried desperately to catch glimpses and take photos of this famous bull pull. Within seconds they’d flown by us and we were left to wait for more.
In total, I saw three Easter Bulls run wildly past, though there may have been more. Delighted with the stunning performances I’d witnessed on Friday, I couldn’t wait to see what else Saturday had in store for the thousands of people who traveled to Ayacucho to celebrate the Christian Holy Week. All day Friday, local artists had labored on the streets of the Plaza de Armas, creating stunning murals out of colored sand. Their hard work was short lived as the evening’s touching procession, in stunning candlelit darkness, marched the Señor del Santo Sepulcro around the plaza leaving behind dusty remnants of the beautiful art sacrificed in the name of religious fervor.
I’ve spent a good deal of time in Ayacucho, and I can honestly say that it is one of my favorite destinations. It is a mixture of tranquility and activity and Semana Santa was no exception. On Saturday afternoon, to sneak away from the crowded city center, my friends and I took a short combi ride to the Wari ruins, just 30km from Ayacucho. Exploring these beautiful ruins and the quiet paths linking them riddled with cacti and fresh tuna fruit, you’d never know of the fiesta taking place just a short distance away. Not wanting to miss the evening celebrations, I was back in Ayacucho in the late afternoon, and after a reviving dinner we re-joined the crowds to enjoy the music and dancing that would last all night. Like huge statues made of construx, scattered around the square were reed towers that erupted in exciting fireworks displays throughout the night. Big brass bands played around the Plaza so that when one band grew tired of playing cumbia and samba we moved on to another corner of the square where a new band was blasting horns, guitar and drum beats into the night.
A mural made out of sand created on the streets of Ayacucho.
The excitement and fervor kept the crowd moving and though I’d taken a short nap, when my friends woke me to rejoin the festivities, there was an even bigger crowd then when I’d left just an hour ago, anxiously awaiting the famous procession which wouldn’t start until 5:30 in the morning. Tired faces waited patiently near the Cathedral, people slept on the sidewalks and small children played on the street beside their parents. The final fireworks tower erupted in announcement of what we’d all been waiting for. Tired eyes fixed on the Cathedral as the famous brilliantly lit pyramid seemed to float out of the doors of the Cathedral supported by the hands of 200 people and began to circle the Plaza in what is known as the Resurrection Mass. It was truly a remarkable finale to this exciting celebration that will ring forever in my mind as an extraordinary Peruvian cultural experience.
Category: Peru, Travel News
Comments
Leave a Reply
