Cruz Velacuy
Hello and greetings from Peru!
I have not posted much of late as there has not been a lot to share. Much of what I have been working on is the behind-the-scenes work that has to be done but is not very exciting; writing proposals, doing taxes, applying for grants, researching, editing, updating my website, finding editors and consultants to work with, and on and on it goes. I estimate that creating the photographs probably only makes up about 10-15% of my time as a photographer.
The one thing I did want to share with you is my recent coverage of Cruz Velacuy or the Celebration of the Cross which takes place at the beginning of May. The main day of celebration is May 3rd but in reality and true Cusquenan fashion, it lasts from May 1 to 5.
Like most traditions here it is a merging of Catholic and indigenous traditions and its origins are difficult to trace. The best evidence dates back to shortly after the Spanish conquering of the Incas. After the defeat, all the Incan temples were razed to the ground and crosses were placed on top of the ruins. The crosses were placed there as a new symbol for the people to worship. However, this proved difficult as they continued to pray to their deities and Apus (spirits). Converting the population proved troublesome for Madrid and they stopped sanctioning the masses as they contained too many indigenous aspects.
When the actual celebration began I have not been able to determine. However, it was deliberately created on May 3rd as the Incas had their own celebration that day celebrating their own cross, the Chakana or Andean Cross. The celebration day marked the beginning of the harvest season. It was when the Southern Cross constellation was best aligned in the sky and was visible after the rainy season ended. They looked to the stars for signs of what the year ahead would bring. Cruz Velacuy (like most Christian holidays) was made to replace the celebration day of the people they had conquered.
It took hundreds of years but the Spanish were eventually able to convert the people to Catholicism. Cruz Velacuy is now an important Catholic festival here in Cusco. The present-day celebrations were formed around 1950 after a large earthquake damaged the city. People gathered at the stone crosses of cathedrals built on the former temples to pray. Over time it morphed into present-day celebrations.
Three different types of crosses are honoured and celebrated. The first is the previously mentioned stone crosses at the cathedrals. The second is the large wooden crosses residing on hilltops and cliffs overlooking the city. The third is the smaller crosses that reside in people’s homes.
The celebration begins with the crosses that overlook the city being taken down on May 1st or 2nd and transported with much fanfare to the home of the year’s majordomo. The majordomo is the person who along with their family will host and sponsor this year’s celebration of the cross. They are responsible for all aspects of the celebration which is a great honour but also a huge expense.
On the night of May 2nd, candlelight vigils are held at the stone crosses located at the cathedrals which last all night. May 3rd is the main day the wooden crosses are paraded through the streets with music, dancing, eating and drinking, and fireworks that go until the next day. More celebrations continue on the 4th and the crosses are carried to different churches and family homes around the city. It will also visit next year’s majordomo. Finally, on either May 4th or 5th, the crosses are returned to their sanctuary with fireworks and prayer and will oversee the city until next year.
Like all celebrations here, Cruz Velacuy is passionate, full of life, and festive. Children are included in the festivities as they learn about their traditions and rituals which is important to the culture’s survival as it continues to adapt to the Spanish Catholic ways. It is quite astounding to feel the shift in the feeling and mood when the celebration goes from the festive streets of Cusco to a sombre and silent mood when the crosses are brought into churches for service. It then turns festive once again and the children rejoin after mass when the cross returns to the streets.
The people here are ardent Catholics but fiercely Quechua which is what it will take for the culture to survive as globalization extends its hand and the modern world rapidly changes. That gives me hope as does seeing the children learning about their language, culture, and rituals.
Cruz Velacuy is considered a Catholic celebration but it contains many indigenous aspects. I was brought up Catholic, baptized and confirmed and went to a Catholic school until I was 18 years old and I certainly didn’t learn about or see women in sequined dresses dancing with horned apes along with eating, drinking, fireworks and festive music. Perhaps if I had, I would not have railed against my indoctrination so hard. If this is a Catholic celebration, it is one I am not familiar with, just saying…
Now it is time for me to prepare for the year’s most important religious celebration. This coming weekend is the pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i. It is a powerful and fascinating celebration that merges Catholicism with indigenous beliefs. I am looking forward to sharing the photos and stories with you once again. This will be the second time I am making the pilgrimage. It is difficult and exhausting but also rewarding.
So until then, be well.
MB
