Thousands of reasons to celebrate in Peru

Peruvians celebrate life with about 3,000 radiant festivals every year, where they sing and dance wearing colorful costumes under a myriad of melodies of traditional music. Since the encounter of the Andean people and other world cultures, 1,300 musical genres have risen in Peru. Peruvian music of today is of romance and drama, of exultant marriage and tragic collision of cultures, and styles from many of the world's continents.

Most festivals are a blend of ancient beliefs with Christian traditions introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. These religious festivals are celebrated in homage of a Christian personality, such as a saint who is seen as patron of a particular community. In many cases the celebration lasts for several weeks, such as the festivity of La Virgen de la Candelaria, which grants Puno the title of Folk Capital of the Americas.

From January 24th to February 18th, La Virgen de la Candelaria festival gathers 200 groups of musicians and dancers, and draws thousands of people to the city of Puno. The sponsors, called majordomos, decorate the church and streets; they pay for banquets and fireworks displays. The main day, February 2nd, the Virgin is carried out from its church, and then walked throughout the city in a colorful procession, followed by a parade of musicians and dancers wearing spectacular costumes. It is a fantastic dreamlike atmosphere, which you will not want to wake up from. The main dance, La Diablada, the dance of the demons, shows how the highlands of Puno have captured imaginations.