Live the Excitement of the Virgin of Candelaria Festival 2015 in Puno
The Virgin of Candelaria Festival in Puno is one of the most spectacular festivals in Peru and South America, and it’s no wonder: tens of thousands of folkloric dancers and musicians prepare for months, alongside equally high numbers of embroiderers, boot makers, sponsors, and others. Together, they present spirited parades, folkloric music and dance competitions, and other spectacles in order to honor Puno’s patron saint, the Mamacha Carmen. Within the maelstrom of vibrantly costumed devils and feather-hatted pan pipers, it’s easy to see how Puno earned its reputation as the folkloric capital of Peru.
Puno boasts almost 300 different classified 
dances with distinct music, dress, and choreography. Hailing from different times in the history of Puno and Lake Titicaca, the dances are charged with symbolism and significance. Communities from within the city and around its countryside train well in advance to represent their area and its dances, investing heavily in elaborate folkloric costumes out of religious devotion and cultural pride. To watch them perform is as if you were watching the millennial history of Puno dance past you.
Dances like the Phusa Morenos or Siku Morenos emerged from the black slave community of Puno after the conquest. They are danced in costumes of the devil, angel and Afro-Peruvian. These dances led to the famous Morenada (Black Dance) and Diablada (Devil’s Dance). Other dances, like the happy mestizo dance known as the Pandilla Puneña date back to the post-colonial Republican era. With the women clad in braids, bowler hats, many-petticoated skirts, shawls, and little boots they represent the typical Andean women.
Its pre-Columbian dances of Aymara and Quechua roots include the Los Maris or Cahuiris, in honor of the gods of lightning and thunder of the same name, the Llullmitha with its long dragging dresses and representation of the sown fields, the alternating male and female circles of the Markheta, and the Inca Huallatha. Ancient dances like the Llamerada and Llameritos were some of the oldest, danced by the shepherds and llama drivers of the Andean altiplano.
Celebrations begin during the last week of 
January, but the apex of the celebration is February 2nd, which locals refer to simply as ‘the day’. This marks the largest parade, when dancers descend upon Puno from the countryside, costumed as Condors and Llamas, wearing gem-studded suits for the Morenada, or donning feather caps in the sikuri style. They will parade through the city’s streets and all dance in turn for the Virgin of Candelaria, who is transferred in procession from her home sanctuary to Puno Cathedral the day before.
Other large events are the Indigenous Dance Contest, which fall in the first week of February, and the Urban Festival (in which the different neighborhoods dress in bullfighter’s dress and compete in colonial and republican era dances). During the second week, the most exciting events are the Folkloric Parade to the Virgin of Candelaria, which runs a route from the Virgin to the cemetery, the parade of Andean pan-pipers (the Sicuris and Zampoñas), and the neighborhood parties which end the festival.
Although we don’t have the full program yet- we’ll post
it when we do- the dates of most importance this year will be: February 1st and 2nd, 8th and 9th.
Puno fills up fast in February, so don’t leave your transportation and lodging arrangements for last. Pirwa Travel Service can help with transport, excursions and tours (after all, you can’t go to Puno without exploring Lake Titicaca!), and Pirwa Puno Hostel can provide comfy and cheap lodging within walking distance of the main square and the harbor. We hope you visit us!