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Location:
All over Peru
Date: December 24-25
The
rural context of the arrival of the infant Christ allowed
early Peruvians to identify immediately with the festivity,
highlighted by artisan creativity, a sense of aesthetics
and the religious devotion of Andean settlers. Andean Christmas
began taking on characteristics of its own by adding elements
from each region. These elements stand out for the extreme
care with which highlanders put together Nativity scenes
in churches and homes, perform dances and plays, cook typical
dishes and produce a wide range of handicrafts such as Nativity
scenes in Huamanga stone, retablos featuring images related
to Christmas and pottery or carved gourds called mates burilados
decorated with Yuletide scenes. In most Andean communities,
the festival continues until la Bajada de los Reyes (the
arrival of the three wise men), January 6, when traditionally
people exchange gifts.
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