Corpus Christi Festival Cusco

Corpus Christi Festival Cusco, Aracari Travel

Corpus Christi Festival Cusco

Today’s celebrations in Cusco mark the 464th uninterrupted procession of Corpus Christi in the Andean city. The celebration has been called “the festivity of Cuzquenians” due to the massive participation of all social groups, rich and poor. The Corpus Christi Festival Cusco is the longest-running religious festival in the Americas, celebrated every year since 1547.

Celebrating in Cusco

Cusco’s is a distinctive Corpus Christi celebration compared to others across the Catholic world in that it is an expression of Andean Catholicism, also called “popular” Catholicism in current religious studies, which is defined by the amalgamation of indigenous traditions into Catholic ritual. Corpus Christi was first introduced in the Americas as part of the policy of Evangelization to convert the population of the New World into Catholicism, and during this process many aspects of native belief system were incorporated into the newly imposed religion. In Inca tradition, for instance, the mummies of dead ancestors would have been paraded around Cusco’s main square, and this idea is continued in Cusco’s corpus Christi processions.

Read our top tips for enjoying Corpus Christi Festival.

Processions

The celebration consists of a series of processions that include fourteen life-size Saints and Madonnas from different parishes around the city of Cuzco, in addition to the Monstrance in a tabernacle made of solid gold placed on an 18th century silver carriage. 

People devote a large amount of time to the celebration, the artistic display involved in the decoration and adornment of the images and their litters, which are always most lavishly appointed. Jubilant music and dance accompanied by special food and drinks embody the party that follows the processional parades.

Read more about Peru’s most important festivals and events with our handy guide and free festival calendar.

 

Related Post
Fernando Silva – expert guiding in Cusco Expert guiding in Peru We're celebrating the people that are part of the Aracari family throughout our 20 year history. Here's a spotlight on Fernand...
ARACARI’S FAVORITE INCA SITES IN PERU – AND WHY No visit to Peru is complete without a few visits to Inca archaeological sites - and there are a whole lot more to choose from than Machu Picchu. Whil...
Guide to Peruvian Food: Causa Peru with flavour Peruvian food is now well established on the world’s gastronomic map. With Michelin-starred restaurants in Lima and cities across t...
Astrid y Gastón: One of the Best Restaurants in Lima Peru Lima, Peru is often referred to as the culinary capital of Latin America thanks to its selection of the top restaurants in the region, and three of th...
Why Every Photographer Should Visit Bolivia and Peru In Conversation with Max Milligan : A Preview Of His Bolivian and Peruvian Photo-Workshops With Aracari We recently had the pleasure of interviewin...
Moments that Made Aracari: celebrating our 25th birthday Longevity. In today’s competitive climate, longevity is a hard commodity to come by for a business, particularly a travel company – when with each pas...