The Corpus Christi (Body of Christ), is the largest religious celebration of the Cusqueño liturgical calendar, it is in itself a gigantic confluence of traditions and customs of the various peoples that make up the valley of Cusco and that are rarely observed in one place, which is celebrated on a moveable date that is usually in May and June, according to the Catholic calendar, is celebrated after 60 days after Easter; In Cusco, a Thursday is always celebrated, which is the Central Day, but a day before, which is Wednesday, the images that will go out in procession make their entrance to the city from various temples in different districts.
On a central day a TE-DEUM mass is held, in which all the priests of the City are gathered; then begins the procession of a beautiful Silver Carriage in which it holds the Custody, which is made of gold in which is the Blessed Sacrament (body of Christ), along the Plaza Mayor, after that the images will continue with the procession.
There are 15 images of the saints who, with individual processions, leave their usual temple or church to visit the Plaza Mayor of Cusco and then enter the Basilica of the Cathedral, where there is a popular belief that the Saints perform an annual assembly and the one who takes notes of said meeting is Saint Jerome (who precisely holds a book in his hands); in which they will remain for 8 days until "La Octava" arrives, the day in which the saints are taken out and taken to their temple or church of origin.
It is the maximum expression of Cusco religiosity that combines joy, color, dance, and music, and which has been declared in 2004 as a Cultural Heritage of Peru.
During the time of Tahuantinsuyo, the Incas carried out massive processions of the mummies of their deceased every year around the city of Cusco. These were people who had a high status in life and who, after they died, their bodies were very well cared for by the family nuclei or ayllus. However, everything changed with the arrival of the Spanish; They, seeing this practice, considered it pagan so they decided to transform it by changing the mummified corpses for figures of virgins and Catholic saints.
According to chroniclers of the time, during the processions, the Incas hid their mummies under the sculptures in order not to lose their sacred customs. Over time, the ceremony took an important turn and created a new tradition: the mummified bodies were replaced by religious effigies, the family nuclei gave way to the new caretakers: the churches, and it became known as the “Corpus Christi Celebration”, a name that continues to the present day.
As we previously indicated, this festivity begins on Wednesday (one day before the procession or central day) with the departure of each saint from their temple of origin.
Each one with an individual procession where the Mayordomos or the ¨Carguyoq¨, in some cases the mayor of the various districts; the faithful who voluntarily decide to accompany their saint and accompanied by a band of musicians or ¨Q´aperos¨. After arriving at the Plaza Mayor, the images of the saints are taken to the Cathedral and remain inside until the next day, which is the procession. On Thursday with the prelude to the procession of the Blessed Sacrament (Body of Christ), then all these people take their saint or virgin from the Basilica of the Cathedral and the procession takes place.
The Plaza Mayor is filled with people. The order in which the saints come out is as follows:
The saints and virgins are dressed in beautiful outfits which have been elaborated with gold embroidery on garments designed by artisan's hands. Attendees also wear traditional and colorful clothing. The "carguyocs", who are people with high purchasing power, give the attendees objects and souvenirs, while the mayordomos, who organize the event, carry with them the miniature image of the saint or the virgin of their district, also called "dowry”. Behind the butlers follow the dancers. They mark the pace of those who have the function of carrying the image of the corresponding saint. At the end of the procession, the music bands that accompany each step are located and are followed by the faithful who make the journey.
It is usually carried out the day after the eighth, it consists of the return of the sacred images to their temples or churches, however, there are others such as the Virgin of Bethlehem that follow different protocols, this activity multiplies the faithful attendees and the dances that will accompany the patron saints, in such a way that following any of these processions is delightful.
We must also mention the dance performances that the neighborhoods star in, they are part of our multicultural legacy. This party is part of our Cusco pride!
The traditional dish of this festivity is the Chiriuchu, an exquisite cold and spicy dish for all demanding palates. A mixture of 10 ingredients such as baked guinea pig (it must be taken into account that the meat of this rodent must be tender, so that when someone consumes it is soft since this way the characteristic flavor is preserved), cau cau (egg cup of fish), parboiled chicken, cured meat, qochayuyo (seaweed), chorizo, white corn field, cheese, sliced rocoto pepper, and the typical torreja. This torreja of spongy consistency is the combination of some ingredients such as corn, pumpkin, and a little chicken broth during preparation so that it has a characteristic flavor when served.
Once you have the dish in front of you, what you should do is take a piece of each of the elements that make it up, only in this way will you feel the exquisite flavor that makes this dish a cusqueño delirium and is inevitable not only on this festivity but also in the most important moments of our lives, because, although the pandemic that began in 2020 has not allowed us to continue celebrating our parties in the same way, we are sure that the Chiri Huchu has transcended and that today, June 03, (the day this post is published), Corpus Christi day is at the table of the Cusqueños who impatiently yearn for our customs.
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