Carnival in Cusco

Sunday 23th of February, you can witness the main day of the Carnival of Cusco. A reason for family union and to play as an adult with water and flour. The Cusqueño carnival is also a party that has a variety of dances and food. In the districts and provinces of Cusco, the carnivals are well known, beautiful parades and colorful contests are held in the Sacred Valley and Valle Sur.

Compadres and Comadres
Compadres and comadres are celebrated the two Thursdays before the central day of the carnival. This part of the celebration is characterized by its uniqueness when making the dolls of compadres and comadres satirizing some character in the neighborhood. Is it the little witch of the store, an annoying neighbor or the authorities? The objective is to highlight some quality of the character and send messages to society.

Recycling elements such as cardboard boxes, plastics, bottles, clothes and shoes in disuse must be used to make a funny looking doll. After its elaboration these are usually installed at midnight on Wednesday in posts or other high areas.

Octava
On Sunday March 1st, beautiful ladies in beautiful costumes accompanied by the men will show up at the Plaza de Armas to show off their dances. In some areas of Cusco, “Yunzas” or “Cortamontes” are carried out, which consists of artificially planting a tree adorned with various gifts, around which they dance. With the help of a machete, they try to lay down the tree to be able to collect the gifts. The Octava is the last part of the Carnival in Cusco.

But for now let’s prepare a funny doll of an annoying neighbor or someone with bad behavior…