{"id":365,"date":"2019-11-27T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/proyectoperucentre.blog\/?p=365"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:39:51","slug":"peruvian-history-qoyllur-riti-religious-festival-like-no-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proyectoperucentre.org\/blog\/peruvian-history-qoyllur-riti-religious-festival-like-no-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Qoyllur Riti, a religious festival like no other"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Peru is still a very religious country, especially in the highlands. In Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire, Qoyllur Riti has a special place in the locals’ hearts. A mix of Andean mysticism and Western religion. This festival attracts more than 10,000 people every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is celebrate in May or June. So if you are here in those months discover all the wonders the Qoyllur Riti has to offer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

So, what’s the Qoyllur Riti?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Qoyllur Riti means Snow Star<\/em> in Quechua, the indigenous Inca language. It is a religious festival that is celebrated 58 days after Easter and right before Corpus Christi. This is why the celebration date changes from year to year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival that mixes pre-hispanic Andean traditions with the religion brought by the Spanish conquistadors<\/em>. Devoted celebrants do use the image of Jesus, but deep inside, they are worshiping the integration between men and nature, fertility and earth, and the Apus<\/em> (mountain spirits).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival of Qoyllur Riti only takes place in the Peruvian Andes. However, many people from all over Peru come to Cusco just for this event. Devoted and curious people attend every year. It is said that up to 10,000 people attend every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilgrimage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People from different parts of Cusco and other regions of Peru go on a 5.3 mile pilgrimage. The journey starts in Mayahuani and ends five hours later in the Sanctuary of Qoyllur Riti. Pilgrims have to go through the Sinakara Valley that leads them to the bottom of the Colquepunco glacier, at 4.800 metres above the sea level (15. 748 feet). The stunning views along the route are considered highlights of the experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this festival, each town sends a group of dancers dressed in colourful traditional outfits. These dancers are charged with transporting large crosses up to the top of the glacier and entertain the people attending with typical music and dances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of this festival’s protagonists are the Pabluchas,<\/em> or Ukukus<\/em>. They are anthropomorphic characters that participate in both the biggest festivities in Cusco: Qoylluy Rity and Paucartambo Virgin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pabluchas or Ukukus demand the attention of all attendees because their outfits not only cover their bodies, but also their faces. Moreover, they are in charge of helping the people in the pilgrimage and keep the order in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These characters also perform different acts of penance<\/em>, such as walk on their knees and bury their hands in the snow, or go on the top of the glacier and carry down big blocks of ice for the town people because it is thought that the glacier ice has healing powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage, penance, music, and dances are accompanied by Catholic services adapted to the local languages: Quechua, and Aymara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Qoyllur Riti was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco in 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the Origins of Qoyllur Riti<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to local stories, a kid named Mariano bumped into this young man named Manuel on the mountains. They became close friends and, thanks to Manuel’s help, Mariano’s flock grew fast. When Mariano’s father saw how his son’s flock grew, he and the town’s priest wanted to meet Manuel. However, when the priest arrived in the meeting point and tried to greet the young man, Manuel became a rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a catholic perspective, this story and the role of Manuel represented baby Jesus. From the Andean cosmovision, this represented the union between men and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Andes of Peru have many stories to tell and this is only one of them. Interesting, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are interested in experiencing Peruvian and Andean culture, there is no better way than to volunteer or study in Cusco. Proyecto Peru offers a wide variety of sustainable volunteering projects<\/a>, professional internships<\/a> and immersive language experiences in Spanish <\/a>and Quechua<\/a>. You can even stay with a local homestay<\/a><\/em> family during your program, living and eating like a local.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peru is still a very religious country, especially in the highlands. In Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire, Qoyllur Riti has a special place in the locals’ hearts. A mix of Andean mysticism and Western religion. This festival attracts more than 10,000 people every year. It is celebrate in May or June. So if … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,36],"tags":[2,75,23,51,12,56],"class_list":["post-365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-peruvian-culture-history","category-travel-tips","tag-cusco","tag-cusco-culture","tag-cusco-life","tag-cusco-peru","tag-peru","tag-peruvian-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nQoyllur Riti, a religious festival like no other - Proyecto Peru Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the Andean festival of Qoyllur Riti, its origins and why it is still so important to the people of Cusco and Peru.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/proyectoperucentre.org\/blog\/peruvian-history-qoyllur-riti-religious-festival-like-no-other\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Qoyllur Riti, a religious festival like no other - 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