Feast of the Lord of Huanca and the Feast of Exaltation of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i

On September 14 and 15 of each year, the feast of the Lord of Huanca is celebrated. Many people who have devotion carry out a pilgrimage walk that begins in San Jerónimo district of the city of Cusco to the sanctuary located in San Salvador, province of Calca.

The hike is not easy. You have to cross mountains to get to the slopes of the Pachatusan mountain. Its name comes from Quechua and means “he who holds the world.”

All this the pilgrims do as an act of faith. When making this journey they are aware of why they do it. When arriving at the sanctuary they find a spa with water that comes down from the snow. and to be free from problems and sins they bathe with an expectation of cleanliness and purification.

One of the things that people should know is that when you ask for a wish, the Lord of Huanca will not give it to you immediately. You obtain it through faith and the hard work, depending on what you want to ask for. At the sanctuary there are rooms where people go and light their candles to ask for their biggest wishes. The people who come to feast have goals and objectives.

Just like this feast, another is celebrated on the second date, the feast of the Lord of Qoyllor Rit’I, also called “the feast of exaltation of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i”. You will hear a melody in different parts of the city from the different nations that are preparing to undertake their pilgrimage to the shrine of Qoyllur Rit’i.

These fiestas should not be confused as if they were the other meaning of fiesta, a party where you have a good time or be with friends. There have a greater meaning and that are a means to alleviate great evils and achieve goals that need faith and devotion.