Today is celebrated in the City of Cusco, “El día de los Compadres” This festival is the prelude two weeks before the Andean celebration of carnival, every year as is traditional it is on a Thursday, in the same way the day of the Comadres that comes to be the following Thursday after the compadres, on this day men gather around the typical dishes and carnival music with friends who have formed strong ties of unity, the comadres for this day give decorated baskets With multicolored balloons, streamers, pennants and flowers, in the content of the baskets you can find seasonal fruits, sweets and other surprises that the compadre may like.
This traditional festival is lived with a lot of hubbub throughout the city, the traditional markets, traditional neighborhoods and chicherias dress up with balloons and streamers for the celebration, there people have fun throwing mistura, foam and colored powder to the compadres and future compadres . In these places, you can also see dolls made by the comadres that identify their beloved compadres, the objective is to highlight a quality of the character and send messages to the people who read it.
The dolls that are made are made of recycled materials such as cardboard, plastics, clothes, shoes and accessories that are used daily (generally the compadre’s discarded clothes are used), these dolls are installed at midnight the day before, they locate it on poles or in places visible to the crowd.
Meaning of Compadres and Comadres.
En los andes, estos personajes son muy apreciados y queridos en el núcleo familiar. Representan una segunda paternidad y eso se va incrementando en los momentos más importantes como los bautizos, In the Andes, these characters are highly appreciated and loved in the family. They represent a second paternity and that increases in the most important moments such as baptisms, graduations, marriages or haircuts, for that reason you have to choose between your closest friends or family, with this the compadres become an important part within families.
Traditional dishes that are shared in this celebration.
For this day, you can find different delicious options in the traditional markets, restaurants, picadors and chicherías throughout the imperial city of Cusco.
Stew or timpu: A delicious dish that is served during the carnival season, contains various meats, accompanied with vegetables, potatoes, moraya, chickpeas, yucca, sweet potato, pear, peach and rice, without a doubt, it is a very varied and tasty dish.
Chiriuchu: This dish is a combination of flavors since it has guinea pig meat, boiled chicken, chalona, torreja, trout egg cup, cochayuyo or algae, sausage, toasted corn, serrano cheese, chorizo and rocoto, it is a cold and very representative dish. from Cuzco.
Baked guinea pig: It is a very nutritious dish typical of Cusco, it is present in all the Andes of Peru, it takes baked guinea pig seasoned with herbs from the Andes, accompanied with parboiled potatoes and a delicious salad.
This happy and festive custom continues to bring people together over the years, it is a sharing of ties with the community and the family. “Happy compadres day to all”
