Christmas Eve is special in Cusco. The city's atmosphere is friendly, you'll see lovely decorations, merchants selling their finely crafted goods, and people feel happy and excited about the big day, December 24. Christmas in Cusco is celebrated by remembering the birth of Jesus according to their own customs. However, they also hold many colonial-era Spanish and Quechua beliefs.
The Plaza de Armas of Cusco hosts on December 24th the Santurantikuy. Thousands of craftsmen from all over Peru come to their best creations to the public where you can find treasure. These works include pottery, pictures, Christmas trees, angels, artwork, Christmas decorations, silverware, and jewelry. This celebration often runs until midnight.
The name of this event comes from a Quechua word, the Incas’ ancient language, it means literally “sale of saints”. This event started most likely in the 16th century; however, its first mention was around 1834 with a different name.
The Santurantikuy is a Spanish invention from the colonial era conceived to convert indigenous people in Peru. As its name implies, these people have been selling Catholic saint statues on the steps of Cusco Cathedral for a long time.
As we've said before, elements of Inca beliefs are still present in Santurantikuy. Such as the mountain gods called "apus", the sun god “inti”, and Mother Earth, called “Pachamama”. People perform rituals honoring the elements asking for blessings for them or their objects.
The products that people at this festival offer are wood sculptures, wax figures, ceramic figurines, leather crafts, dried flower decorations, nativity scene figures, and more. You can spend more than one day seeing all the stuff that's typical of Christmas festivals. Cusqueños examine thoroughly an item when they want to buy one, making sure to choose unique and fine handicrafts, as they eventually will pass it on to their children, and so on.
Cusqueños collect these crafts as a familiar Christmas tradition, that's why they are extremely careful with them. On the other side, famous Cusqueño families such as Olave or Mendivil offer their products at the festival; their items are considered one of the best among the Santurantikuy, we tell you they will be expensive, but it will be worth it. At Santurantikuy, you’ll see very humble families with children that come from Cusco’s far villages and traveled more than a day to offer their products.
They hope to come back with money to keep supporting their families. Fortunately, some organizations offer them hot chocolate, panettone, and some gifts. If you come across one family like that, make sure not to bargain the price they'll say, as generally is already a good price they'll offer you.
Among all the sculptures and items you’ll see in Santurantikuy, the main character is "Niño Manuelito". The Spanish name for the baby Jesus, which originated in Peru, is Manuel, as he is also known in the Catholic tradition. This gentle variation of "Emmanuel" is the source of the name Manuelito.
The Jesuits, a Catholic order of priests, started the custom of clothing Baby Manuelito as an Inca ruler, which the Cusqueños of the time adopted. Even now, Cusqueños find it a great pleasure to dress the statue in Inca clothing.
The history of the creation of this statue is thanks to Antonio Olave, a well-known craftsman, who produced a statue of a newborn Jesus in 1975, nearly fifty years ago. The Vilcabamba community hired this Cusqueño artisan to create a statue of infant Jesus, it’s common to find one of these statues in Cusqueño homes, as they are referred to as symbols of prosperity and fertility.
Want to spend Christmas in Peru? Santurantikuy is one of the few fascinating and lovely celebrations you can find in Peru! Travel with Viagens Machu Picchu to discover more of them.
