Peru Travel News Calendar Events and Travel Advice in Peru

Calendar July - August 2011

Every Sunday


Event:	Andean Marketplace
Locate:	Pisac and Chinchero - Cuzco

Andean Marketplace, fair of craftsman. An excellent opportunity to take contact with the Andean natives and the best artists. Mass in Pisac in Quechua Language (Inca Language), multicolor clothes and beautiful dresses.

July 15 and 16th


Event:	Virgen del Carmen Feast
Locate:	Pan Peruvian

Special Celebration in Paucartambo, Cuzco
Four hours from Cuzco, in the town of Paucartambo, thousands of devotees hold festivals in honor of the Virgen del Carmen, known locally as Mamacha Carmen, patron saint of the mestizo population. The gathering, that raises the curtain on these days of celebrations is held in the main square, where troupes of musicians play their instruments while richly dressed choirs sing in Quechua. The setting gives way to a series of ingenious choreographies that portray events in Peruvian history.

For five days, dance companies in various costumes (Doctorcitos, Waca Waca, Sarjas) take to the streets to accompany the Mamacha throughout the entire procession through the main square, the church and the city streets. On the main day, the virgin is borne aloft in a procession to bless those present and scare away demons. The dancers take to the housetops, performing daring gymnastics, showing off their colorful Inca and colonial garb. At the end of the procession, war is waged on the demons, from which the faithful emerge in triumph. Finally, the gathering ends up in the cemetery to render homage to the souls of the dead

July 27th - 29th (not workable days)


Event:	Independence Day
Locate:	Pan Peruvian

Central Days 28 and 29th
Across the country, Peruvians throw parties and hold patriotic celebrations to remember the Declaration of Peru's Independence (July 28, 1,821) by the Libertador José de San Martín. In Lima and cities across Peru, even in remote communities, homes fly the Peruvian flag from the start of July.

On the night of July 27, Peruvians often stage serenatas to the strains of folk and Creole music in plazas and public parks. Dawn on July 28 is greeted with a salvo of 21 cannons, to herald the ceremony of raising the flag. On the following day, before the famous military parade is held in downtown Lima, the Te Deum ceremony, attended by the president, is celebrated in the Lima Cathedral.

In various parts of the country, Peruvians also hold agricultural and livestock fairs (Cajamarca, Piura, Monsefú) together with three festivals that are the soul of Creole culture: cockfighting, bullfighting and Peruvian Paso horse exhibitions.

August 13th - 15th


Event:	Arequipa Anniversary
Locate	Arequipa

Anniversary of Arequipa and Religious Celebration of "Señora de la Asunción". Civic and religious Feast. Parades, artistic festivals, musical events, religious processions, social parties and fireworks during the nights. International and Handicraft Fairs.

August 14th (Central Date)


Event:	Cruz de Motupe Feast
Locate	Motupe - Chiclayo

Celebrated in Motupe. "La Cruz de Chalpón" (name of a mountain very close to Motupe), was found in 1868 in a cave where the hermit Juan Abad inhabited. Since then many miracle facts had been attributed to this cross: thousands of people from many places congregate to celebrate its festivity.

August 30th


Event:	Santa Rosa de Lima Feast (Not Workable)
Locate	Pan Peruvian

Saint Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa de Lima) was the name given to a seventeenth-century inhabitant of Lima. Isabel Flores de Oliva felt a great religious vocation and dedicated herself to being a laywoman, without belonging to any religious order in particular. She was to spend her life caring for the sick and her penitence undertaken to resist sin, as well as her good nature earned her fame even while she was alive. Veneration of her figure spread not only in Peru but also to the Philippines. Her shrine, located in downtown Lima, is constantly visited by pilgrims in search of a miracle, especially those seeking to cure an illness. On August 30, pilgrims often cast letters detailing their needs into the wishing well where Saint Rose dropped the key from her cilice. Others visit the hermitage that the saint herself built. Saint Rose is the patron saint of Peru. Although her festival is celebrated across the country, it has a special Quechua emphasis in the town of Santa Rosa de Quives, in the highlands of the department of Lima.