festivals – Page 7 – Pirwa Hostels BLOG

Colorful Carnaval in Cusco & the Sacred Valley of the Incas

February 7, 2015 Pirwa

Fall into the magic of the former imperial city of the Incas. This year, the central day of Carnaval in the towns of Cusco District will be Sunday, February 15th. It’s a time of colorful dances, parades, and competitions. Celebrations take place not just in Cusco city proper, but also in the surrounding Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Southern Valley, especially in the towns of Pisac, Calca, Coya, and Urubamba. (Last year, more than 5 thousand visited Coya on the main day of its carnaval. Dancers and musicians gathered from the country communities surrounding Cusco, Arequipa, Tacna, Puno and Apurímac.)

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The Official Program for the 2015 Virgin of Candelaria Festival in Puno, Peru

January 18, 2015 Pirwa

One of the most spectacular annual festivals in Peru, and in South America in general, is the Virgin of Candelaria Festival each February in Puno, which honors the city’s patron saint. In a stunning display of faith and devotion, the city embarks on a vibrant display of costume, music, and dance, showing off some of the hundreds of different classified dances which have earned the city a reputation as the Folkloric Capital of Peru. More than 40 thousand dancers, 5 thousand musicians, and an astonishing 25 thousand indirect participants (from embroiderers to artisans specializing in masks, boots, bells and others necessary artisan goods) take part to entertain the more than a hundred thousand visitors that the city receives at this time. Celebrations last for weeks, but here we’ve compiled the details on the main days of the 2015 festival:

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The Official Program for the 2015 Carnaval in Oruro, Bolivia

January 16, 2015 Pirwa

Carnaval time in Bolivia is marked by parades, folkloric characters and dances, beer and chichi, water games, and festive crowds. The flavor changes with the location, however: there’s the Carnaval de Antaño (Carnival of Yesteryear) in Sucre, which recreates the colonial and republican era, and the Carnaval Grande in the same town; there’s the Carnaval Minero (Miners’ Carnival) in Potosí, and the Carnaval Paceño (La Paz Carnival), where one must continually duck water and foam attacks while watching the endless lines of dancers. Which is the most famous of the Bolivian Carnavals? The Oruro Carnaval is known worldwide, and was declared by UNESCO a Masterpiece of Oral & Intangible Heritage of Humanity for its impressive mix of religious Spanish and indigenous Andean traditions.

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Live the Excitement of the Virgin of Candelaria Festival 2015 in Puno

December 11, 2014 Pirwa

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.

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Take Part in the Puno Anniversary Celebrations on Lake Titicaca this November

October 29, 2014 Pirwa

Next Tuesday, Puno will celebrate its 346th Founding Anniversary. As part of the celebrations, the city has released an official month-long program with more than a hundred activities; the best of which we’ve compiled here.

The main parade will take place on Nov 3^rd and will be followed by the traditional Serenade to Puno concert and the Great Puneñan Night, which amounts to a huge open-air party that will include live musical acts and fireworks. The following day, there’ll be a theatrical presentation of the rising from the waters of Lake Titicaca of the mythical Manco Cápac, who according to Incan legend was child of the sun who eventually founded the Incan Empire in Cusco. He ruled alongside his wife and sister Mama Ocllo, who will also make an appearance.

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