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There are many festivals in all villages and small and large towns, from March to September. This period covers the time when the rains have ended, and it is time to make offerings and pray for a good season ahead. It is the time when irrigation channels are cleaned and thanks are given or offerings are made to Patron Saints, to Jesus Christ and Madonna or Pacha Mama.
It is likely that if you travel within those dates your trip will coincide with some sort of celebration. When we receive your confirmed booking, we will advise you on the possibilities and design the itinerary to fit one in, if that interests you. However, in order to facilitate things for you to plan your trip to coincide with a particular Celebration, please find the calendar below.
We have picked the Celebrations we find most attractive for visitors, as well as important religious dates, even if they don't involve colorful spectacles. They are celebrated with devotion.There are many others, but a lot of them involve fun for the local people, which does not mean fun for foreigners. Some celebrations are mainly drunken feasts with little or no interesting local color, and too many crowds. We have excluded those. We have highlighted the ones we think are worth a detour.
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FESTIVITY
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2011
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2012
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Carnival
Carnival is widely celebrated but it entails no particular interest for tourist. Be careful, because you may bathed by water fights in the street! |
Week of March 6
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Week of February 10
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Ash Wednesday
Church going and special service in all Catholic Churches |
Wednesday March 9 |
Wednesday, Feb 22
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Holy Week
Palm Sunday
Processiones in all villages and towns of Peru
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Sunday, April 17 |
Sunday, April 1
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 Lord Of Earthquakes (Cuzco)
Major Festival in Cuzco. Definitely worth scheduling to coincide. Cuzco's most venerated image of Christ is taken out in procession in the afternoon/evening of Holy Monday. The entire city participates.
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Monday April 18 |
Monday, April 2
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Maundy Thursday
Special services in Churches all over. Churches open longer hours. |
Thursday, April 21 |
Thursday, April 5
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 Good Friday
Major, if somber processions in most villages and towns. The processions of Our lady of Dolours and the Holy Sepulchre are particularly important in the villages in the Colca Valley.
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Friday, April 22 |
Friday, April 6
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| Glory Day |
Saturday, April 23 |
Saturday, April 7
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Easter Sunday
Remarkably little happens but Easter Sunday services are longer and more colourful than normal ones |
Sunday, April 24 |
Sunday, April 8
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Fiesta De La Cruz (all over)
The festival of the Cross is very much celebrated. The Cross is taken out in Procession. There are processiones from 1st May until a couple of days after May 2 which is the "Central" day. |
Monday, May 2 |
Wednesday, May 2 |
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 Pentecost (Ollantaytambo)
Pentecost is celebrated with non-stop ethnic dances in Ollantaytambo. Well worth a visit.
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Sunday, June 12 |
Sunday, May 27
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Qoyllur Riti (near Cuzco)
This is a world renowned pilgrimage many times filmed by the BBC and other major Television programmes. It entails a rigorous trek and 2 or 3 nights camping at high altitude. It envolves the workship ofthe "Apu" (mountain) and the Lord of Qoyllur R'iti at the same time . |
Saturday, June 18 to Tuesday, June 21 |
Saturday, June 2 to Tuesday, June 5
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 Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is Cuzco’s most important religious festivity. It is celebrated with fervor. A total of fourteen Saints and Madonnas, from each of Cuzco’s Parrish churches, participate in this colorful procession. Members of each brotherhood (cofradia) prepare for a full year for the procession,and monies are raised to provide the most sumptuous attire for the saint or Madonna of their devotion. The result is a spectacular parade of bejeweled and bedecked statues, making their way from their “home” Parrish church to the Cathedral on litters carried by devotees. All the saints and Madonnas overnight in the Cathedral for a few days after Corpus and the doors to the temple remain open to all who want to come in and admire this magnificent sight. |
Thursday, June 23 |
Thursday, June 7
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Inti Raymi (or Festival of the Sun)
This is a re enactment of what contemporary scholars have interpreted must have been the Festival of the Sun in Inca times. It now takes place in the Inca site of Sacsayhuaman near Cusco. It stopped being performed in the 18th century and was re established on the 1940’s. A bit of a contrived experience in our view.
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Friday, June 24 |
Sunday, June 24
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Virgen del Carmen
Paucartambo (near Cusco) and Pisac (Urubamba Valley)
“Mamacha Carmen” as she is commonly known, defeats the demons who climb up on rooftops and balconies during her procession around the streets of Paucartambo. Non stop masked dancing carries on for 3 days running. Very busy with locals and “Limenios” alike, the festivity of Virgen is a bit of a drinking binge in Paucartambo but very good fun too. Definitely worth a stop in Pisac to see a milder version but equally colourful version of the Paucartambo processions and festivities. |
Saturday, July 16 |
Monday, July 16
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Assumption of the Virgin
All over Peru, there are processions in this, the most important day to celebrate the Virgin Mary. Mostly every temple that is dedicated to the Madonna will have a procession today. |
Monday, August 15 |
Wednesday, August 15
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Virgen De La Almudena Y De Las Nieves
(Cuzco and Chinchero)
The Almudena is one of Cusco’s most venerated and “richest” Madonnas. Hence the importance of her procession. On the same day in the Urubamba (Sacred ) Valley many villages small and larger sucas Maras (Church of Tiobamba) Huayllabamba and Chinchero, have the feast day of their Madonna.
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Thursday, Sep 8 |
Saturday, Sep 8
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Señor De Huanca (near Cuzco)
This is one of the Andes most venerated Christ figures and the pilgrimage involves people coming from far and wide. Very important celebration. |
Wednesday, Sep 14 |
Friday, Sep 14
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San Jeronimo, Cusco
The festivity of San Jeronimo is celebrated around his Parrish Church in the vicinity of Cuzco with dances and processions. |
Friday, Sep 30 |
Sunday, Sep 30
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 Christmas In Cuzco
The market of Santuranticuy is a wonderful crafts markets on the main Square of Cuzco. The Plaza comes alive on the morning of Christmas eve with crafts people selling images for their nativity scenes.
Please click here for more information.
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Saturday, Dec 24 |
Monday, Dec 24 |
For specific information on festivals please contact us on
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