《行前準備‧節慶篇》祕魯復活節 Holy Week Celebration in Ayacucho

2008年3月16日 星期日

行程改來改去後，忽然發現我們 3/20 晚上會抵達祕魯，心想為何不去參加極負盛名 Holy Week 的祕魯小鎮 Ayacucho 呢？

節慶這種東西還真是如果不能擇日，撞日應該非去不可吧！

不過現在急需研究的是還訂得到住宿嗎？怎麼在網路上似乎很難尋找到 Ayacucho 的 hostels...


12:14 Hotel bookings for Holy Week in Ayacucho, Peru exceed 60%

Holy Week in Ayacucho
Ayacucho, Mar. 03 (ANDINA).- The hotel bookings in Ayacucho for the Holy Week exceed 60 percent and it is expected the arrival of over 14 thousand visitors, reported today the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Dircetur).

Rosa López, Tourism director, told Andina news agency that the 17 hotels which are duly classified and categorized by Dircetur “are already full”.

However, she said there are 65 additional hostels that have some rooms available.

“Every year, visitors coming to Ayacucho book their rooms with many months in advance, so it is expected that by the end of this week, all hotels will be full” she said.

López pointed out that they have launched a campaign through the media to register all households which can accommodate some visitors in their houses.

López underlined that this year Ayacucho will receive more than 14 thousand foreign and domestic tourists. Every year, thousands of people from all the country and foreigners arrive to Ayacucho to participate of the religious devotion of these people.

Celebrations begin on Sunday, they call it "Domingo de Ramos" (Palm Sunday), and they end the next Sunday, "Domingo de Pascua" (Easter). Every day, during the Holy Week processions take place as well as religious manifestations. They are accompanied with folkloric dances. Parallel to these celebrations, artisan and cattle fairs take place.

During the first Sunday of the Holy Week, people do a remembrance of the triumphal entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem. Very early in the morning, donkeys and llamas, with herbs from the area, enter the city. Later those herbs are incinerated during the next Sunday (Easter).

Then, on Wednesday, the image of Jesus is venerated. All the pilgrims surround the image holding candles in their hands, and in that moment, the light from the city is turned down. Images of some other saints, taken from churches of the area, accompany this procession.
After that, on Thursday, people do their visit to 33 churches of the city.

On Friday, there is a big procession to the Saint Sepulcher. It begins during the evening from Santo Domingo Church. A coffin made of crystal with the image of Jesus that lays on white rose petals, go over the city, followed with another images and women from the city all dressed in black.

Saturday is the day in which "Morochucos", riding on horses, climb the Acuchimay Mountain with people from Ayacucho.

Then, on Sunday all the people wake up with the ringing of the bells from all the churches in Ayacucho. After that they go to the Cathedral, carrying out a very big image of Jesus brought back to life, this image is carried by more than 250 men. They go around the city, with many pilgrims, giving end to this special Holy Week.

(END) LBH/JOT/AVC/EEP