Lima’s Lord of Miracles Procession

Imagine a dark-skinned Christ, painted on a wall by an Angolan slave during the Spanish Viceroyalty, that has survived a devastating earthquake and the furious attempts of the colonial ecclesiastical hierarchy to erase it. Imagine a wooden platform covered with silver and gold, that weights over a ton. Imagine a procession of hundreds of thousands of devotees, all dressed in purple habits. Welcome to Lima’s Lord of Miracles Procession.

October, Lima’s mystical month, is when the city’s patron, the Señor de los Milagros -or Lord of Miracles-, is celebrated. The largest procession in the whole South America, it congregates devotees from all over the country, even abroad. 

The origins of the Lord of Miracles date back to the mid XVII century (probably between 1650 and 1651), during the Spanish Viceroyalty. An anonymous Angolan slave painted a dark-skinned Christ on the wall of a humble plot in the Pachacamilla ranch, near Lima. At the time a non-white Christ was considered heretic, but notwithstanding several attempts by the ecclesiastical hierarchy to erase it, the image resisted. The devotion for the image boosted in 1655, when a massive earthquake demolished every building in the proximities, but not that wall.

During the whole month of October, known as the mes morado, or purple month, minor observations in honour of the patron (whose colour is purple) are celebrated. The main event occurs the 18th: a procession that counts hundreds of thousands of devotees. Dressed in purple habits, they sing and pray while accompanying the image on its 24-hour route from the Nazarenas temple to La Merced church in the Barrios Altos district. The wooden portable platform that carries the image is completely covered with silver and gold, and weights more than a ton. It is carried out on shoulders by the loaders of the “Pachacamilla Christ Brotherhood”.

Sweets and food can be purchased from vendors along the path of the procession, in particular the traditional Turrón de Doña Pepa, a soft nougat candy made almost only during October.

Bullfighting Season
During October and November, the Señor de los Milagros bullfighting season takes place in Lima’s Plaza de Acho (1768), one of the oldest bullrings in the Americas. Known as the Feria Taurina del Señor de los Milagros, it gathers the most prestigious bullfighters of America and Spain, who compete for the Escapulario de Oro (golden scapular).

This year the traditional bullfighting season celebrates its 60th anniversary, and celebrates it with eight dates: four bullfights, one rejoneo (bullfights from horse-back), two novilladas (bullfights with young bulls), and a gala festival. Some 10 renowned matadors will participate, including Julián López “El Juli”, Enrique Ponce, Luis Francisco Esplá, and Finito de Córdoba.

Add comment September 15th, 2005

Inca Initiation Ceremony in Cusco

The Warachicuy, an Inca initiation ceremony, will be performed by 1200 actors this Sunday, September 18th, in Cusco’s Sacsayhuamán explanade.

At the shout of “haylliy!”, victory in Quechua, more than one thousand warriors/performers, aligned just as the Inca army did, will charge towards Cusco’s Sacsayhuamán fortress in a brave attempt to take it over.

This is the beginning of the Warachicuy, the initiation ceremony that celebrated the passage towards adulthood of the Inca aristocracy. As in the old Inca times, the actual representation goes through the three phases of the ceremony: the Ritual stage, the competitive or warrior stage, and the festive or war dance stage.

During the Warachicuy ceremony, noble youngsters got their first Wara (breechcloth), which assured them the Inca citizenship and the eligibility for marriage and war. It wasn’t though an easy task: in order to succeed, they had to pass through severe athletic tests and sham battles. Indeed, not everybody participated. There was a tough previous selection on the base of health tests and physical capabilities.

The ultimate goal of the ceremony was for the young to convince the great Inca that they qualified as public men and could become great warriors.

The rite is accompanied with Andean music and dances and is performed in the Sacsayhuamán explanade (5-minute ride from Cusco city). On the stalls, many street vendors offer traditional food and drinks.

Add comment September 1st, 2005