Located in the highland of central Peru, Ayacucho is well known for having one of the best celebrations of the holy Week, “Semana Santa” in the world. Hundreds of people travel to the city for this religious celebration each year, exhibitions of floral carpets, fireworks, bull chases, and religious reenactments are all part of the religious festival.
Also, the devotees go on a pilgrimage to portray scenes of passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As you can see, this feast is full of faith, color, and joy, stay with us to find more !
Holy Week or Easter week is celebrated in Peru big time, however in Ayacucho they take it to a very different level. The city of “33 Churches” is the center of this feast in Peru, thanks to its exceptional excellence, this event is considered the second largest in the world, only surpassed by the festivities in Seville, Spain.
The blessing of the flowers and palm branches marks the beginning of the festivities early on Palm Sunday. The lunch hour sees a huge caravan of donkeys pulling dried flowers, alongside musicians singing and playing local music. Before a religious ceremony, the palms around the plaza are cleaned, burned, and buried.
Later in the afternoon, thousands of people wave golden palms as a white mule carries a figure of Christ around the city, ending at the Cathedral. Then, the crowd then gathers in Plaza de Armas to witness the arrival of the straw, which will be burned in the Saturday of Glory bonfires. Almost simultaneously, a group of kids perform a live portrayal of Jesus getting into Jerusalem
This theatrical presentation, which will depart from the Santa Teresa Monastery, will center around Christ's picture of riding a donkey. The apostles, portrayed by twelve actors will accompany the march. The trip will end when the plastic sculpture gets to the Cathedral and is placed among the worshippers.
The Christ’s picture that goes out in procession on holy monday is called “Jesus del Huerto”. This parade is distinctive as the streets are adorned with food, decorations, grains, fruits, and olive trees. On “Martes Santo” or Holy Tuesday, “The Lord of the Sentence” procession starts traveling Ayacucho Streets, commemorating the day that Jesus was taken into custody and tried.
This parade is one in a kind in that it will make stops at each of the 14 stations that make up the traditional Via Crucis. All of this is happening as the people singing songs in Quechua and Spanish accompany this photograph.
Holy Wednesday is also a symbolic day when the meeting between Christ and Mary is metaphorically recreated at the Plaza de Armas. For this passionate celebration, attendees should plan to arrive early and choose a good spot because there may be a big reception. On Good Friday, the city lights are turned down to create a breathtaking lighted procession of the crucified Jesus and Virgin Mary.
Every 30 minutes, a total of six bulls from the Alameda Bolognesi are unleashed into a gated section of the city on Saturday mornings at approximately 11 a.m. This kicks off this day’s celebration, which lasts well into the night with music and dancing taking place all over the central plaza.
Another old traditions for this day is visiting Acuchimay Hill, located in the Carmen Alto district, to pay respect to the image of another Christ's image. It's also an excellent spot to take in reflection while gazing out over the whole city.
On “Santo Domingo” or the last day of Holy Week, there is an early departure for another procession. This time, all the temple bells chiming, it is the Risen Lord who leaves the Cathedral and wanders around the Plaza de Armas, much to the joy of believers, music bands, and fireworks.
Easter Sunday sees the return of the religious rites, which culminate in an odd celebration of Christ's resurrection. Before daylight at five in the morning, the resurrected Christ is carried out of the church on a towering white pyramid decorated with over 2,000 candles. The pyramid is then carried around the plaza by hundreds of people while bells and fireworks ring till seven in the morning.
This festival is another example of the faith and devotion of Peruvian people, do you want to live it in the flesh? Travel with Viagens Machu Picchu to find more!
