The Virgin of Guadalupe

I arrived in Guadalupe on Sunday. Back into the dreamy sweaty cauldron of the magical small city near the Ocean, cut through by the Panamerican highway. I returned for the feria, celebration of the towns Saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Over 350 years ago the Spanish brought over a carving of her which rests in the towns Iglesia, and every year two weeks of rituals, drinking, dancing, and singing are performed in her honor. For me, there is a profound timeless and spiritual feeling in the air, the connection to ancestors, the continuity of overlapping layers community throughout generations. I may not believe in Catholicism, but I believe in ritual. The dressing with icons to me is exactly that, a dressing of the more profound connection to those past and to the sacred mystery of life.

Saturday and Sunday are big days, because lots of people gather and carry the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe up the solitary mountain that rests at the city´s edge. On friday night the streets are filled with people constructing elaborate arches of flowers, stringing decorations, balloons filled with confetti. On Saturday, the virgin is carried slowly, stopping frequently while dances are performed, or for songs of devotion sung by community members on stages, or for prayers. Saturday night everyone climbs the hill and to the sound of a brass band playing northern peruvian coastal music, watches fireworks spin and burn into the desert midnight.

Sunday, today, the statute will return, and the festival will continue for 3 more days of dancing and celebration. Some of the biggest bands in all of Peru are coming to this small city for concerts. At night the plaza de armas is filled with everybody, walking in circles, young people making romantic eyes, small groups of guys drinking rum or beer, mothers and daughters walking arm in arm, older men chatting, kababs of meat sizzling on smoky grills, vendors selling cake and candied figs with cheese & all under palm trees surrounding an elegant dry fountain.

One of the things I love most about Peru is that everybody dances, from the ages of two to eighty years old. Popular dances for all ages include Salsa, Cumbia, and Merengue. In addittion, Peru is home to a variety of beautiful and traditional regional dances, and everywhere I´ve traveled I´ve discovered that people of every region respect and know the dances of the others. But perhaps the most famous, intricate, and difficult dance is the Marinera. It is a courtship dance with ancient Peruvian roots and there are lots of children who learn it at a very young age. On friday there was a contest of Marinera for children. Here are some videos of th 6 and under group:

Love to everyone,

Daniel