Fiesta de la Candelaria

Amidst dancing Devils that try to please the Virgen with their acrobacies, caporales  showing they can partake in the popular avents and elegant ladies telling me not to worry about the rain that falls on the parade today because they are nothing more than tears of joy coming down from the virgen herself, blessing the visitors. That was the Carnaval in Puno for me, the celebration to the Virgen de la Candelaria. Magnificent costumes and rites some of them I have never seen or heard of, Puno was the most sensible stop after Cajamarca and a great complement as well. Like usual, a lady adopted me and tried to instruct me on the tales of the festival, I did my best of course and then we shared some chicharrón :-) yummmmy
Puno brought back memories of older trips and long known friends, for all of you who were not here, I had some chicha, so dont worry, hehe
Wouldnt be a Titicaca trip without climbing to one of the viewpoints and snap a picture of the sunrise over the lake, so my last day there was a loooong one....


Oh! I couldn't resist, enjoy the long leg-short skirt show!!

Polleras

Adios Cajamarca

Back in Lima now, couldn't stay for the best crying widow competition or for the burial of the Ño Carnavalón, maybe next year, maybe, for now all is left is to keep my fingers crossed so I can go to Puno's celebration of La Virgen de la Candelaria... keep on keeping on...

I might have missed their wedding but was not willing to miss the frantic parade of their love around town with the paint splashing that they bring along every year...
I came to visit Ño Carnavalon and couldnt have made a better decision, the city that made the carnaval so popular in Perú decades ago hasnt lost its touch... wonderful weather did nothing but enticed us to come back yet one more time



Clows wearing ojotas, princesses in polleras and arlequins singing coplas is what this carnival brings to us, what an excellent mixture of traditions! The party didnt stop for a few days (as a matter of fact it will keep on going till next week) but if you ask about where the party is, it is in the streets and in the different houses where it really takes place: maybe welcoming some carnavaleros to sing some coplas and drink your chicha, maybe going out to your balcony and treat them to a nice bucket of water, maybe even venture pass your doors the day of the entrance of the Ño Carnavalon and get paint all over you, Cajamarca enjoys its carnival like no other. They dont get upset because they got wet or painted, they just get even... watch out!!

Cajamarca

Back in Cajamarca for the Carnaval!!! Days of waterballon fights and parades and nights of coplas, doesn't get any better:

te vas a morder la lengua
cuando empieces a hablar,
no te acuerdas de esas noches
cuando te hacia gritar?