Christmas in Peru, as anywhere in the world, is a time of great joy and fanfare. The night of the 24th of December – or “la noche Buena” (the good night) – is the big celebration, when families gather together to enjoy good food and merriments before opening their presents together after midnight (although the children are often allowed to open their presents early). It is a very festive occasion with lots of food, drink, music and dancing.
A traditional Christmas Dinner – also held by many families after midnight – is typically centred on pavo (turkey)(though some of those from Cusco cannot go with gallina cusqueño (hen)). Apple sauce, tamales and salad are generally served on the side and dinner is accompanied by a heartwarming and rich Peruvian dark hot chocolate fused together with cinnamon and cloves.
Panettone (pictured below) is another hit, an Italian sweet bread with festively coloured green and red dried fruits inside, and this has been sold in droves at Christmas time since it was first introduced about a century ago. That said, some still prefer to scoff an alfajor, 2 soft biscuits sandwiching a layer of dulce de leche (a creamy, milky and thick caramel).
Cusco is set alight by Santuranticuy on Christmas Eve, a lively and bustling market that has been held in the Plaza de Armas on the 24th for several centuries. This Christmas fair is centred on the tradition of building a pesebre – or a crafted nativity scene – and embellishing on it in as many ways as possible.
People come from near and far to sell their enhancements for the pesebre, which can be anything from art from the hip San Blas neighbourhood to an assortment of plant parts that could serve as ornaments. From as far as Ayaviri in the Puno highlands (altiplano), people bring ceramics such as animal figurines to incorporate into the pesebre. In fact anything can be sold, and poor people from the aldeñas communities make the most of the opportunity to sell grass or moss which are used to add authenticity to the scenes. There are even sets of clothes on offer for the baby and Madonna, while other people in the market will happily offer to fully furnish the scene.
UPDATE: Photos from Santuranticuy in 2010
The resultant pesebres can be very beautiful. All of the work is done by hand and emphasis is placed on the most realistic yet glorious looking. They are the pride of the people, and are placed in churches, homes and across the main plaza. Families trawl through the market, pouring their heart into finding ever better adornments for their pesebre, this religious devotion is indeed a big part of the very essence of Santuranticuy.
Pesebres (the first two were taken at Santuranticuy in 2010)
Niño Manuelito – baby Jesus in Andean terms – is the main star. He adorns indigenous clothing as well as the thorn in his foot. The other characters from the Christmas story are also included. The word Santuranticuy itself is a convergence of Spanish and Quechua literally meaning “to buy the saint”.
Unfortunately for some locals, the Fair has grown beyond its traditional purpose over the last thirty years and today you can find other items for sale including modern ceramics, cheap replicas of the famous religious paintings from the Escuela Cuzqueña (the Cuzco School of Painting), crafts, antiques and silverware, as well as traditional and modern Cuzquenian candles. It has seemingly become a Christmas bonanza for some, particularly tourists, and a distraction for others.
At night, the fair takes on a life of its own decorated by large biblical animals covered in lights. Street vendors sell traditional hot and sweet rum punch called Ponche to warm you up, and the starlit skies glitter overhead.
At midnight, some will attend the misa de gallo – or mass. Fireworks crack in the sky as midnight passes adding a splash of noise and colour. If it hadn’t done so already, the party now begins; usually a living room is taken over and furniture moved aside to allow for dancing. The music more than likely than not will go on all night.
Christmas morning means getting up early and excitedly opening presents in many countries. In Peru this is usually a much needed day of rest after the night before!
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