Señor de los Milagros

October is the in which Peru celebrates el Señor de los Milagros. The city of Lima goes all out for this holiday. It is rivaled only by Christmas. There is a week-long celebration and parade throughout all parts of Lima. I had the opportunity to watch the parade from the balcony of a friend`s house. And this is no ordinary parade- The streets are dressed in purple and filled with hundreds of thousands of people. There are bands playing live music and vendors everywhere you look (many selling the dessert called "turron de doña pepa" which is a sprinkled pastry associated with the holiday). The streets are filled with people. People create beautiful images in the streets made from colorful flowers and sand for the procession to walk over (like laying down a rug) and the people in the streets and on the rooftops and balconies light fireworks and through flower petals as the procession passes.

The holiday has religious significance. During the procession an image of Christ, as painted in a famous mural, is carried down the streets of Lima. The mural was painted by a black slave in the 17th century and is the image of Christ on the cross with the Holy Spirit and God the Father above and Mary and Mary Magdelene at the feet of Christ. In the 18th century, Lima suffered a massive earthquake and nearly the entire city of Lima was destroyed. The only thing left standing for miles was the wall on which the mural had been painted. It was a declared a miracle.

A photo of the Image

Looking out over the Procession from our Rooftop!