festivals – Page 2 – Pirwa Hostels BLOG

Enjoy the Spectacle of the Corpus Christi Festival in Cusco, Peru

May 11, 2016 Pirwa

Up to the time of the Spanish Conquest, the people of Cusco venerated mallquis, the mummies of former leaders, adorning them with care and carrying them through the streets atop heavy litters on sacred days. Although the appalled Spanish banned this custom, it was retained through a simple solution: rather than abandoning the practice completely, the mummies were replaced with statues of saints and the Virgin Mary, giving birth of the modern Corpus Christi festival in Cusco. Thus, the colorful Corpus Christi celebrations of Cusco are as Andean as they are Catholic.

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Fiestas del Cusco: The Biggest Events for Cusco’s Jubilee Month, June 2016

May 7, 2016 Pirwa

Throughout the month, the city will be decorated with the rainbow flag of Cusco and folkloric dance parades will take place daily between the 10^th and 20^th of June. We’ll be publishing the day-to-day program next week, but did want to share the highlights right away. From the Inti Raymi Festival to the Night of Light & Sound, these are the biggest events for Cusco’s Jubilee month, celebrated this year from May 29^th through July 03^rd:

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Start Making Plans now for La Paz’s Gran Poder Festival this May

April 4, 2016 Pirwa

At Pirwa La Paz, we’re excited for one of the biggest festivals of the year, the Fiesta del Gran Poder. El Gran Poder means the all powerful, as the festival is based on Christ the All Powerful, the 2^nd figure in an early 17^th century painting of the trinity in which the three entities display Indian or mestizo features. The artist is unknown; a novice nun had brought the painting with her it as her offering upon entering a convent, after which the painting changed hands many times amidst a growing reputation for granting miracles. Devotion grew and in 1939 the Parochial Church of the All Powerful was founded in its name. What began in the 1930’s with a handful of dancers has exploded through the years into a riotous celebration reminiscent of Carnaval, which falls a couple of months earlier.

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Holy Week 2016 in Cusco

February 24, 2016 Pirwa

Despite the religious tenor of the Holy Week in Cuzco, the city’s unique Andean spin on the festivities means it’s a fun time for tourists of all backgrounds to enjoy. What can you expect? Fireworks, concerts, and lots of food… It begins with Palm Sunday on March 24^th and culminates with Easter Sunday on March 28^th, although in contrast to Holy Week celebrations in other cities, in Cuzco the principal day of celebrations is Holy Monday. This is because it’s the day of the Lord of Tremors processions, which we wrote about in our last post.

Here, we’ll talk about the events planned for the main days of Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, and Good Friday.

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Watch the Lord of Tremors Procession this March

February 22, 2016 Pirwa

Once a year, the patron saint of Cuzco, the Lord of Tremors (Señor de los Temblores), is taken out of the city’s cathedral to be processed through its main streets. This takes place during the Holy Week celebrations, on Holy Monday.

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