Well what a blast Palm Sunday was! And i'm not really the religious type either. So Semana Santa is easter in spanish and if you hadn't realised, its a big deal here :)
So a few of the girls got up at 6am and headed to mass at the cathedral, but since it was so early, combined with the fact i don't speak spanish and am not catholic, i decided to give it a miss. I think it was a wise choice, as even the girls who don't speak spanish couldn't understand the priest and it was standing room only. So i was quite pleased i had a sleep in, because the day ahead was going to be a big one!
We headed off to the cemetery about lunchtime, which is where the festivities were beginning before the parade into town. So when we arrived we were shocked, as there was animals and people everywhere. It was a meeting point for the parade, where all the local Huamangan people meet, some with their animals- see the photos of the llamas dressed up specially for the parade. They have decorations that go on their heads that are used only for special occasions, and if you have animals in the parade it shows how important you are!
So at the meeting point, they had free beer for all and free food to feed 5000 people!! There were people everywhere, dancers, acrobats, bands and guest speakers. It was wonderful, and we stocked up on the free beer because everyone wanted to drink with the 'gringas'!! So as sooon as we finished our beer, someone else was yelling at us to join them and before we knew it they were filling our cups with more! It was a very very hot day, when the sun is out, it gets hot here! So the beers were flowing and we were chatting to so many local people and they were so happy we were there, and holding the Peruvian Flag (viva Peru!).
The parade started and everyone walked into town, with us following suit. It was a long walk in the heat but it was fantastic walking with the llamas, bands and acrobats! When we got closer to the plaza, Alexandria and I found some Peruvian friends that we had been drinking with and they pulled us into their part of the parade and we marched with them. Once we were in the plaza there were hundreds and hundreds of people watching and there were 2 gringas in the middle of the parade..us!! We must of looked hilarious, because we were marching with traditionally dressed ladies, and i was in shorts and a singlet and thongs!! So we just smiled and waved our flags and everyone seemed to think it was great! So our claim to fame was being part of the big parade into town...little did we know at the time we'd be parading around again!
So at the end of the parade we waited for 'jesus' to arrive. It was a massive statue being held on a donkey, lead and followed by another 2 donkeys. And surrounding Jesus was about 20 policemen forming a barrier so people couldnt get too close. And surrounding them was thousands of people holding Palm leaves. They had made the 1.5hour march into town from the monastary and just before they got to the plaza, Alexandria and I joined in the march. So we were moving at like shuffling pace, literally surrounded by hundreds of people with their palms in our faces and pushing and shoving to get closer to jesus!! Somehow, we managed to move close and were literally at the back of the 'ring of people' surrounding jesus, so it was very exciting and i can only compare it to one thing Alexandria said while we were getting squashed... It's like a mosh pit for Jesus!! Haha it was hilarious. But so much fun as well, especially considering i am not religious and i was right at the front of thousands of peruvian people who probably spent hours pushing their way up there!
So we marched around the plaza for what seemed like hours, just laughing and having a great time before we made it to the main cathedral and Jesus entered on his donkey and they moved him to a throne inside! Then it started raining which was good timing because it was nearing 6.30pm and we needed to get home for dinner! So it was a long and very eventful day, especially with all the free beer we drank, but it was such an amazing experience. And it also so amazing to contrast their festivals with our western ones, and see how westernised easter has become with 'chocolate egss'. Although i do miss them and would kill for some crunchie eggs right now, it is nice to be away from all the commercialization that had happened in our country, not even mentioning what its like in the USA!!
But Palm sunday was just the beginning of a week of festivities. Wednesday night is going to be a big one, and we have 2 public holidays on thursday and friday, plus a massive parade on Sunday. Its really enormous here and people from all over Peru fly in for the festivities here in Ayacucho. It really is famous and the biggest celebration in Peru and possibly even South America, so even though i do love the free beer all week, i am glad that i get to experience this week because of the culture. Absolutely amazing.
Will keep you posted on my other semana santa antics!!
xoxo millie
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