A year of celebration in Peru
A year of celebrations ahead in Peru
Friday, 16, Jan 2009 12:00
The South American nation of Peru celebrates some 3,000 carnivals and pageants each year, so whatever time holidaymakers visit they will most likely stumble across local festivities.
However, so as not to miss some of the most flamboyant and diverse festivals that Peru holds, travelbite.co.uk here takes a look at what is on offer in 2009 in the land of the Inca's.
Peru's historic capital, Lima
The vibrant capital of Lima celebrates the Anniversary of its founding on the 18th January, where visitors can become immersed in the civic-cultural activities taking place such as parades, singing, and fireworks.
Lima was founded in 1535 and in a short period of time became the most important city in the Americas. Today, there are more than eight million inhabitants, and the city shelters immigrants from all corners of the globe, which has transformed it into a mixed city par excellence.
Hidden Trujillo
Discover the lesser known north of Peru by visiting the city Trujillo and witnessing the Marinera Festival from January 20th - 25th.
This festival and competition celebrates the most elegant northern dance, the Marinera, at its best performed by elegant couples.
The dance involves a great deal of flirting between the couple, who each twitch a handkerchief in their right hand. The male dancer wears a poncho and hat while the lady wears a beautiful typical regional lace dress called a Moche.
During the dance competition the city comes alive with processions and music with hundreds of revellers and visitors will be sure to be toe tapping and hip swinging!
Carnival in Cajamarca & Ayacucho
Despite what you might think, holidaymakers don't need to go to Brazil to party in Carnival style, as throughout Peru also celebrates! Highlights include the northern city of Cajamarca Cajamarca and southern town of Ayacucho, both of which come alive from February 21st - 24th with a colourful display of dance, elaborate costumes and one-of-a-kind masks.
These festivities include throwing buckets of water and handfuls of powder over each other, so be prepared to end up soaked and covered in powder!
Ica's Grape Harvest Festival
The southern province of Ica is famous for wines and pisco and in the first two weeks of March the city of Ica comes alive to celebrate the International Grape Harvest Festival.
Visitors will enjoy tastings of wines, pisco brandy and cachina (mature fermented grape juice) as well as gastronomic fairs, parades, music and the crowning of the Queen of the festival.
Surfing in Puerto Chicama
Due to the excellent waves and beaches surfers from all over the world take part in the National Surfing Tournament on the beaches of Puerto Chicama in the north during March.
Peru has excellent surfing beaches and a variety of waves to suit all abilities, also on the northern coast the country boasts the largest left hand point break in the world in Máncora and the longest left handed wave in the world in Chicama - which is over four kilometres long.
On 24th June the entire Amazon region comes alive for the Feast of Saint John the Baptist. This celebration has a strong association with water which is vital in the Amazon region as the rivers and rains are very important for the survival of the biodiversity.
All the stops are pulled out for these celebrations with live bands playing traditional music, dancing parades and a feast made up of Amazonian food.
Inti Raymi in Cusco
Every year on the June 24th Cusco celebrates the most famous festival in the Inca calendar, Inti Raymi - Festival of the Sun.
The winter solstice and local harvest are the driving force behind the celebration in honour of the God of the Sun: Wiracocha. It is now the second largest festival in Latin America with over 200,000 people visiting Cusco to join the merriment, parties and fireworks.
Professors, archaeologists and historians carefully script a performance of an Inca ritual in the fortress of Sacsavhumán which is just two kilometres away from Cusco then the city itself parties the day and night away.
Adventure Sports in Huaraz
June is the month for adrenaline pumping in the Huaylas Valley in Huaraz, with the Adventure Sports Festival. The adrenaline pumped festival features the roughest and wildest adventure sports Peru has to offer and includes skiing, rafting, mountain biking, paragliding and hand gliding, all set against the majestic backdrop of the White Cordillera.
Paucartambo
Guests can also experience the colourful procession along typical Peruvian village streets to celebrate and worship the Virgin of El Carmen in Paucartambo, Cusco region on July 15th - 16th.
Enjoy music and singing in Quechua, from groups representing passages of the history of Peru. On the main day of the festival, the Virgin blesses the attendants and casts off demons which is re-enacted by village people who perform risky acrobatic displays on the roof tops. Stay for the impressive grand finale where a war against demons erupts, but of course the faithful triumph!
Mucho Gusto, Lima
After the success of the first International Gastronomic Fair of Lima: Mucho Gusto in 2008, it will return again to the city in September 2009.
Increasing numbers of visitors are discovering Peru's hidden gastronomic delights and letting their taste buds travel through the length and breadth of this delicious country. Lima, maintains a distinctive place and prestige amidst the tremendous culinary traditions of Latin America.
Lord of Miracles festival in Lima
In the second half of October (18th or 19th) tens of thousands of people take to the streets in downtown Lima wearing purple tunics, singing hymns and praying for the Lord of Miracles.
This festival dates back to colonial times where a slave from Angola drew an image of Christ on the walls of a hut in the Pachacamilla plantation near Lima. The image stayed on the walls even though many tried to erase it and as a result it was worshipped.
Today the celebration is one of the largest in Latin America.
International Spring Festival
Celebrate springtime in Peru in style with the acclaimed International Spring Festival in October in Trujillo.
To mark the beginning of spring, Peruvians celebrate throughout the country, but Trujillo in the north has gained a reputation for holding a festival of the greatest splendour.
During the week-long festival, streets and homes are filled with decorations, floats are paraded through the city and troupes of schoolchildren dance through the streets, led by the beauty queen of the spring pageant. The beauty queen is always flanked by cheer leaders who travel there from all over the world to show off their skills
Immaculate Conception festival in Cola Valley
In the city of Chivay near Arequipa in the Cola Valley the Immaculate Conception festival from December 7th -10th sees men dressed in women's clothes approach the ladies and whisk them away to join the procession and dance the night away (the main day of the festival is December 8th).
This is a beautiful time to visit the 16 Baroque churches of the Colca Valley and the terraces of the 2nd deepest canyon in the World, the Cola Canyon.
More Information
For more information about Peru and its festivities please visit the official tourism website.