EASTER IN PERU

FAITH, TRADITION, AND CULTURE

WHEN IS EASTER IN PERU?

During 2024, it is already scheduled that Easter in Peru will be celebrated between March 24th and 30th, a complete week that gives us a lot of celebration and reflection, as it commemorates important moments in the Catholic religion such as the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Although there are many places where the blend of cultures is felt more strongly, like Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, and Ayacucho, which makes Easter in Peru feel different, with a greater symbolic and spiritually enriching meaning.

It is also important to understand that this Easter season in Peru is considered a very popular date and many people visit Peru, so you must secure your hotel reservation, entrance tickets for tourist places like Machu Picchu, and more in advance. Remember that our travel agency in Peru can help you with this.

HOW IS EASTER CELEBRATED IN PERU?

Throughout this week, many important activities are carried out across the country, always respecting this sequence:

03/24 – PALM SUNDAY: The main activity of this day focuses on the temples of the cities, where believers arrive with palm leaf decorations for the priest to bless and take home.

03/25 – HOLY MONDAY: The main event is experienced in Cusco, where the spiritual patron of the city, El Señor de los Temblores (Lord of Earthquakes), goes out in procession to bless the city.

03/26 – 03/27 – TUESDAY AND HOLY WEDNESDAY: People can go to different churches to attend masses and receive blessings from priests.

03/28 – HOLY THURSDAY: This day celebrates one of the most important moments, which is the Last Supper, so the tradition is that on this day you can eat the 12 dishes that consist of soups, main dishes, and desserts with natural ingredients from the area.

03/29 – GOOD FRIDAY: This day is a day of reflection as it is remembered as the day of the death of Jesus Christ. Although there are also people in Cusco who can travel to the Calca sector, within the Sacred Valley, for the beautiful procession of the Señor del Santo Sepulcro.

03/30 – GLORY SATURDAY: The celebration begins in the cities, with decorated streets awaiting the long-awaited resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On March 31st, Easter Sunday celebration begins early with fireworks as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. It is also common to see people take to the streets to enjoy Easter food in Peru.

EASTER IN THE CITIES OF PERU

Each city has a particular way of celebrating Easter in Peru, the main ones are:

Easter in Lima Peru: Our experience in the Peruvian capital is quite emblematic due to its importance. Here, the main attraction that we can highlight is the famous visit to the 7 churches, including the Cathedral of Lima, Monastery of San Francisco, and its catacombs. It is an experience that can be enjoyed with the whole family and made special to enjoy Easter in Lima Peru.

Easter in Ayacucho: This destination is known for having the best Easter in Peru since its people are very traditional. Here we focus on many activities such as the procession of Jesus Christ illuminated only by candlelight. It is also important to know that it is a city that has a large number of churches, 33 churches to be exact.

After this, we move on to the celebration in which the traditional markets are completely filled with colors, crafts, music, and food for all visitors. It is also common to see a paso horse show.

Easter in Cusco: Our Easter tradition in Cusco begins with Palm Sunday in which people go to churches to bless the crosses made with palm leaves. The rest of the week we have traditional activities. However, the privilege is that if you spend Holy Monday in Cusco, you can take advantage of Holy Tuesday or Wednesday to visit Machu Picchu and be back in time to enjoy the delicious Easter food in Peru.

Easter in Arequipa: This is a traditional city due to the customs of Easter in Peru. However, in one of its nearby towns, Paucarpata, is where Easter in Peru has a different ending since they have the tradition of making an effigy that symbolizes Judas on Easter Sunday and then setting it on fire, which represents the punishment and justice that was imposed on him for his betrayal. The best place to observe this is from the Yanahuara viewpoint.

WHAT DO PEOPLE EAT IN PERU DURING EASTER?

Everyone knows how popular Peruvian cuisine is, but can you imagine how different gastronomy is during Easter in Peru? Our Peru Travel Agency shows you a little about how it is made.

We start by knowing that eating meat is not allowed during the celebration of Easter in Peru, this is due to a symbolism between meat and the body of Jesus Christ, in addition to also representing the 40 days that he was in the desert with abstinence from food, both are mainly religious beliefs. For this reason, all dishes only contain chicken, fish, or vegetables, however, the variety that Peruvians can obtain only from these ingredients is infinite.

As a way to commemorate the traditional and historical Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples, in Peru the tradition of preparing and enjoying 12 different dishes was adopted (the idea is that 6 are savory dishes and 6 are sweet dishes), each one with its own history. Among these, we can taste corn soup, shrimp chupe, pumpkin soup, broad bean kapchi, ceviche, fried fish, peach stew, rice with milk, purple mazamorra, maizillos, sweet empanada, and others.

Now you know everything you need to about the celebration of Easter in Peru and you are ready to start planning. Our travel agency in Peru has many programs and activity options ready for you that will make your trip completely unforgettable, do not hesitate and contact us now.

“A trip with faith and purpose can make your trip to Peru more special.”