Newsletter April 2008

One of the most important holidays in Peru, Semana Santa or Holy Week, took place this year in late March with more than two million foreign and national travelers. The most colorful and spectacular celebrations took place in Andean towns such as Ayacucho. Boasting one of the most famous and visually stunning Semana Santa celebrations, Ayacucho holds vibrant and stunning festivals that result from the fusion of Catholicism and indigenous religious. The townspeople engage in a weeklong celebration that includes feasting, partying and raucousness reminiscent of Carnival.

Ceremonies begin on the Friday before Palm Sunday with a reenactment of Christ’s meeting with his mother, the Virgen Dolorosa. Palm Sunday finds celebrants in biblical attire parading through the streets with mules and palms. The following week is filled with daily and evening processions in which participants demonstrate their devotion. The open-air markets fill up with vendors selling crafts and food while music plays throughout the day. This week of celebrations rivals that of Carnival in which anything goes and revelers party and celebrate into the morning hours. At dawn on Easter Sunday, religious rites begin and end in a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Music, prayers and fireworks mark the day.

The celebrations in Cuzco take on a more solemn and sober tone revolving around the story of el Señor de los Temblores. According to legend, during the earthquake of May 31, 1650, the statue of Christ sent by Philip V of Spain became blackened and emaciated. Because of its resemblance to the native population, the statue ever since has been revered as Cristo de los Temblores (Christ of the Earthquakes).

Source:About.com

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• Newsletter April 2008
• Newsletter February 2008
• Newsletter January 2008