ORIGIN
According to belief, the Child Jesus, disguised as a shepherd boy, appeared to an indigenous boy, Marianito Mayta, and the two became friends. When the parents found them dressed in rich attire, they notified the local priest, Pedro de Landa, who tried to capture him but without success, because a stone appeared in the place of the Child. Marianito died immediately and the image of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i was fixed on the rock.
PILGRIMAGE TO LORD OF CCOLLYORITI
The festivity of Mr. de Ccoylloritti is one of the catholic festivities fused with the Andean, located in the area of Sinacara that brings together endless pilgrims devoted to the miraculous image, entire populations of southern Peru, also called nations that are organizations of comparsas and devotees, come from different places in the provinces of Cusco.
Despite the imposition of the Catholic religion, the Andeans did not forget their religious traditions, keeping them almost hidden. Nature, for them, had its own spiritual representations: the Apu, spirit of the hill; the Pachamama, the earth and the Inti, the Sun as divine maker.
The festival begins on the day of the Holy Trinity, when more than 10,000 pilgrims ascend to the limit of the perpetual snow. Minimum temperatures of -4 °C are reached. The path is accompanied by a procession, fireworks and the symbolic market of the Alacitas (miniature crafts fair).
After five hours of walking, you reach the sanctuary of Mr. de Ccoylloritti, immediately you have to make the salute of honor to the image of Christ miracles, in the afternoon all the comparsas make their official entrance through the Nations, a total crowd is observed Almost 200 troupes giving their official greeting that lasts almost all night, accompanied by different dancers who symbolize various mythical characters. The “pablitos” or “ucucos” who are the intermediaries between the Lord of Qoylloriti and the men and those who maintain discipline during the liturgical acts, are people dressed as bears (a black suit made of thick cloth and wool, with a chullo). that keep order and peace that they are also called the soldiers of the Lord.
The next day, the day of the serenade that begins with liturgical ceremonies in honor of the miraculous Christ or also called peasant Christ. In the afternoon the serenade begins with a dance show parading through the atrium and interior of the sanctuary; At midnight a group of strong Queros, inhabitants of what is perhaps the purest Quechua community in Peru, disguised as pabluchas, leaves for the peaks of the snowy peak (6,362 m.a.s.l.) in search of the Snow Star that is locked in its entrails and also the place where the baptisms of the new dancers are held and the judgments by the guards where they punish those people who have made mistakes and who already find out at the foot of the snow-capped mountain since they send secret envelopes that are up there read. Returning to their communities, these strong settlers carry large blocks of ice on their backs to symbolically irrigate their lands with the sacred water of the Ausangate.
On the main day, after doing the ritual at sunrise, you descend from the snow-capped mountain in a caravan headed by the Calvary towards the sanctuary; Hours later, the central mass is held, after which the procession of Mr. de Ccoyllorritti represented by Mr. de Tayancani, concludes with the farewell of each comparsa giving songs or (Watascama) to the lord, finally they return to the town of Mahuayani, to then embark to their places of origin.
The end of the procession takes place in the ancient Inca capital of Cusco with the Corpus Christi processions, the streets and squares are full of people, music and color.
