UJ #17 - Traditional Peru

APRIL | HOLY WEEK
Gihan Tubbeh / PromPerú
Easter week is one of the catholic religion’s most
important and representative traditions. Despite being
celebrated across the globe, each area of the world has
its own way of partaking in the festivities.
In Peru, where 70% of the population is thought to be
Catholic, Easter Week is widely honoured. Nonetheless,
there is a part of the country in which this holiday is
not only celebrated for its significance, but also for the
tradition and fervour that accompany its rituals.
Gihan Tubbeh / PromPerú
In Ayacucho, located in Peru’s Sothern Andes, a church
door opens in the pre-dawn darkness, letting out a
brilliant gleam of light. The city’s main plaza is packed
with people – from tourists to believers – all waiting,
watching. The glow moves closer to the street and all of a
sudden, a marvellous plinth over 10 meters high comes
into view, holding a resurrected Jesus illuminated from
head to foot with shining candles.
AYACUCHO IS KNOWN AS THE ‘CITY OF
CHURCHES.’ THERE ARE 33 TEMPLES
IN THE CITY, MANY OF WHICH WERE
BUILT DURING COLONIAL TIMES. THE
FIRST EVER CHURCH IN THIS CITY
WAS THE TEMPLE OF SAN CRISTOBAL,
WHICH DATES BACK TO 1540.
In Ayacucho, Easter Week lasts 10 days, beginning on the
Friday before Palm Sunday. This day is marked by the
procession of the Señor de Agonia, the Virgen Dolorosa,
Saint John, and Veronica.
The plinth of
the Señor de la
Resurrección
illuminating the
dawn sky in
Ayacucho on a
Sunday.
Hundreds of
flower ‘rugs’
adorn the
procession
path.
This fascinating and moving ritual dates back to the time
of the Viceroyalty. The Spanish arrived in Peru with many
traditions, including the celebration of the Holy Week.
The conquistadors, inspired by the way this date was
celebrated in Seville, adopted the tradition. Today, the
Holy Week fiesta held in Ayacucho is considered the
second most important celebration of its kind in the
world, after the one held in Seville.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters the city as he did
Jerusalem: riding a donkey, and surrounded by his
apostles – 12 men dressed in traditional garments from
the time. Meanwhile, the townspeople praise him with
palm fronds in hand. Dry logs and palms are taken into
the main plaza beforehand, where they will be used to
light a grand fire on the last day of the celebration.
On Wednesday, the moving ‘Procession of the Encounter’
paralyzes the city as Jesus of Nazareth is taken through the
streets until reaching the plinth holding Veronica. Upon
reaching this point, Jesus is inclined, and his face is washed.
Veronica then departs in search of Saint John and Mary.
The Virgin Mary is subsequently brought into the main
plaza where she watches as her son approaches the cross.
All of a sudden, both figures halt, their faces illuminated
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