Easter in Peru
Easter officially begins on Palm Sunday “Domingo de Ramos” during which Christians commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. During this week the media is saturated with religious information, biblical passages, Christian movies etc..
Palm Sunday, early day Masses are held where believers bless their crosses, here, people entering to church, carry a cross with many bouquets of flowers and aromatic herbs reason why it is called “Palm Sunday” – “Domingo de Ramos” at the end of the Mass and the crosses are blessed and only then are taken to their homes and placed at the front door of their homes. Love and fear of God was such that most households are delivered to more mystical contemplation.
Thursday; a day of confession.
On Thursday, the exercises took a more solemn aspect. Celebrated the last Mass of the Passion and was obliged to confess and take communion. On this day, well after midnight, completely changed the look of the city, theaters and bars closed, paralyzed traffic, train whistles and bells did not touch, no sounds heard of any kind.
In the Archbishop’s Palace at midnight on Thursday were taken 12 blind beggar whom the Archbishop will wash his feet in a basin of silver, as did Jesus and his disciples. He then went to the dining room where the lunch with them, as also that Jesus and his apostles at the Last Supper season, a big dish of cod.
Holy Friday
Friday morning during the fasting population remains waiting for lunch, which is not common but a banquet lunch which consists of 12 plates, after a tremendous hunger fast with people taste of his most favorite dishes, although some q as traditional sweet pies, rice “Zambito”, a rice pudding, etc.
Sunday; Resurrection day
On that day, pilgrims are to the maximum adoration level. People will get up early to assist to the mass and finish up with the holy conmemoration.
Arequipa The White City
The city was founded on August 15, 1540 by a handful of Spanish conquistadors, in a valleyheavily worked by successive pre-Hispanic cultures, which also defined names in the city and its surroundings. Facing the Spanish trace survives in the original trace historic centerof the nearest Indian village (now suburb of San Lazaro).
The role of the chair began in the last third of the sixteenth century. This volcanic stone, pearl or pink, free, inexhaustible, soft, light, thermal, aesthetic and resistant to weather,earthquake came as a structural solution. The sillar was unable to take the early years,except for the covers of the main church and some houses. The original Arequipa was builtwith adobe, masonry, sticks and straw roofs or mud cake. Houses of this type were madeuntil the nineteenth century and were common in the eighteenth century, some remain in theoriginal district of San Lazaro. Later came the brick and tile, brick houses are in theMonasterio de Santa Catalina. The cataclysm of 1582 settled raised these systems andearthquake reconstruction. Sillar then appeared as the prime structural solution.
Were thus the major earthquake that marked milestones in the formation of the local architecture. You can mention five periods:
* Foundation and villager (1540-1582).
* Splendor of the Baroque (1582-1784).
* Reviews Rococo and Neoclassical (1784-1868).
* modernizing Empiricism.
* neo colonial enactments (1868-1960) and contemporary.
The Sillar, has had a presence in the region gravitating Arequipa, from the almost magicaluse of pre-Inca cultures to the present day. The early settlers of the region is used to makepetroglyphs and pictographs.
With accurate property José Luis Bustamante y Rivero, born in this city, President of theRepublic of Peru (1945-1948), states:
“Stony grim city. Solid interlocking housing where the chair is a symbol of collective psychology: rock and foam, hardness and ductility. amalgam of fire in the breath of the volcano melted and encourages the stones and souls”
* The Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and Town Hall, with beautiful architecture andsurrounded by arches of Sillar, are very popular with tourists, and causes the photos of postcards. The facade of the cathedral, with neo-classical architectural style with French influences, occupies one side of the Plaza de Armas of Arequipa and sports three front pages, plus two bronze medallions.
* It should be noted that one of the attractions is the abundance of existing colonialreligious architecture, located in the historic center of Arequipa, in districts such as Cayma, Yanahuara, etc. Among them ”The Monastery of Santa Catalina” (the most important andimpressive religious monument in Peru) [69]. The church of the Company and its cloister,founded by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century (which sometimes hosts cultural eventsand fashion), ”the church and convent of La Merced”, ”the colonial architectural SanFrancisco” (dating from the XVI century), ”the Franciscan Monastery of La Recoleta”, etc.
* Among the 500 old houses and colonial include Moral House, La Casa de Tristán delPozo, Irriberry The House, La Casa del Pastor, Goyeneche Palace and the Founder’s Mansion.