Cusco’s Festivities Calendar

(March or April) Religious festivity. In Cusco, this celebration has certain peculiarity including pilgrimages. On monday of this week, the impressive procession of the Lord of the Earthquakes takes place in the afternoon.

(May or June) Religious festival known as the Star of the Snowpeak where we can appreciate the fusion of the prehispanic with the catholic in a celebration that lasts three days. The place called Sinakara in the Ocongate district, province of Quispicanchis, at 4,800 meters above sea level, where temperatures may drop as low as minus 4 degrees centigrade. This is a massive pilgrimage of more than 20,000 people walking for 8 kilometers, many of which reach the shrine dancing. The festival ends with the worship of Apu Ausangate and the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i.

(May o June) Religious festivity celebrated on the main square of Cusco where 15 images coming from every church in and around Cusco participate in the procession. In the morning, the silver carriage parades the monstrance containing the consecrated bread (Body of Christ) and in the afternoon, all the saints and virgins of the different churches parade qaround the Plaza full of jewels and colorful dresses.

(24 of June) The ancestral ritual of the Incas is reenacted to express the harmonious relation between man and the Cosmos, centralized in the cult of the Sun. Coinciding with the winter solstice of the southern hemisphere, the festival begins in the Qorikancha and then proceeds to the main square and then the Inca and his court climb up to Saqsaywaman, where the ritual include the sacrifice of a llama as an offering to the God Sun. This day is part of the week dedicated to celebrate Cusco’s new year.

(July 16) Known as Mamacha Carmen , this religious festival is performed in Paucartambo with particular color and pomp. It is also important to see the raising sun from the balcony over the junge called Tres Cruces because the sun raises in a spectacular way.

(August 1st.) Andean ritual when all the region makes payment to Mother Earth. This is a present given to the earth since soon she will receive the seed that require to be germinated and eventually feed us.

Several events of touristic character take place at this time of the year and special cultural, ecotouristic and sport presentation can be attended.

(November 1st) This day everybody visits the cemetery for a ritual cult of the ancestors. The typical dish of the day is roast pork and maize corn pie. Another ritual is the bread babies that are offered for the feasting of the dead.

(December 24) This event id celebrated since the arrival of the Spanish and it is a chance to present ceremics images to ornament the nativity in every home for Christmas. Today it is the biggest artisans fair in the continent and it is an occasion to show the skill of our artists. It takes place in the main square of Cusco.