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Mes
Morado (Purple Month)
Lord of the Miracles (El Senor de los Milagros)
All
of October - principal day October 28th.
This procession gathers together the largest number of believers in South
America. Its' origins lie in colonial times, when a slave, brought over
from Angola, drew the image of a black Christ on the walls of a wretched
hut at the Pachacamilla plantation, near Lima. The image stayed on the
wall despite several attempts to erase it.
Female followers of the Lord of the Miracles often wear purple for the entire month of October, and are easily identifiable by a purple dress, sashed with a white cord. There is a modest celebration in Cusco and a big procession in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The
image survived intact on the wall despite an earthquake in 1746 which
leveled all surrounding buildings. As a result of this event, worship
of the image rose to new heights, until it became the most widely venerated
image in the city of Lima. The principal day of the celebration of the
Lord of the Miracles is 28th October, the anniversary of the 1746 earthquake.
The procession in Lima is one of the largest annual processions in all
of the Americas, where tens of thousands of the faithful dress in purple
tunics, sing hymns and pray as they accompany the image. The litter which
bears the painting weighs two tons and is borne on the shoulders of believers
who set out on the traditional 24-hour procession from the church of Las
Nazarenas, crossing downtown Lima until it reaches the church of La Merced
in Barrios Altos. Around this time of year, the streets fill with vendors
of a wide variety of typical dishes and sweets, such as the famous Turrón
de Doña Pepa
Senor de los Milagros is celebrated in October each year. (photo from Prom Peru)
APUS PERU Adventure Travel Specialists - Email: apusperu@westnet.com.au
© A.Svenson 2005. The design, content and photographs (except where noted) are 100% original. The majority of our treks were designed by Apus Peru.
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