The Cruz Velacuy or to guard the Cross is a traditional festivity whose beginning to dating in the first decade of XVIII century. This traditional festivity is realized all years, the third day of May.
The reason for this festivity is to adore the cross, the practice used to be private and closer only into the family. Now the celebration is realized in open form, for all people and with big pomposity to difference how was celebrated in the past.
In the Catholicism world, the passion of Jesus is represented by the Cross, this element was using in the ideological fight, in the religion and submission of the natives. The extirpator of idolatries destroyed the Incas ceremonial places and put the cross over it for adore.
The new sign (the cross) was introduced in the worship by the Andean people like answer to the imposition. In this form it is given the syncretism between the Andean religion and the Europe religion.
This festivity has one person who manages, directs and finances, this person is the “Carguyoc o Mayordomo” who one year ago voluntarily accepted the post.
The crosses venerated can be mobile or unremovable.
The first king can be movement to differences part in procession, generally the material used for manufacture is the wood and the second king always is celebrated in the same place where is, because is not possible movement by the weight, the material used to manufacture is the rock or cement.
This celebration is realized the second day of May. Beginning with the movement the cross from the original place to the house of the Carguyoc, this part of the festivity is call “la bajada (the descent)” where with music and food people past the night to guard the cross.
The principle day, May three the cross is movement to chapel to celebrate a mass, a band of music accompanies the movement from Chapel to house of the Carguyoc where is served the food and drinks and the cross is put over a special prepared place. The next day in the end of the celebration, is realized “the farewell (la despedida)”, the cross is return to the original place in the middle of drinks, food and dance.
For this article the used information belonged to Vicente Goyzueta.
The festivity of Lord of Qoyllur Ritti is one of the principles expressions about Andean faith, The Ausangate Mountain is the place where this celebration is realized with 5200 meters over sea level, this is realized before to celebrate Corpus Christi in Cusco city.
The Lord of Qoyllur Ritti festivity is in the Cusquenian Andean. It is the most massive event realized. The Worship at the image painted of Jesus in the rock and the Apu Ausangate is the sign of the syncretism religious. It is accepted by settlers so they deposit his faith for prosperity and good health.
The meaning of Qoyllur Ritti which is a quechua term want to said “Star of the snow”. The Sanctuary where is given the worship is a Chapel constructed with calamine and walls of cement.
The worship of the Lord of Qoyllur Ritti is presented in the dances that are realized out of the Chapel whose dancers represent at his respective town, they win the cold and the altitude sickness while into the Chapel prayers are being motivated by good desires for his future between candles and Human heat own of faith.
One of the activities that is developing in the festivity is the fair of the alacitas where is possible to acquire mini cars, university degrees, which are offert to the Lord.
The persons who managing the tranquility are the pabluchas or Uhkukus with whip in hand put the order in the festivity, dresses with singular and multicolor clothes whose begin have a mystic origin which said that are sons of the union between the Andean bears and a beautiful aborigine women.
The tradition said that Jesus child wear like a little shepherd to appear to Marianito Mayta who was a little aborigine child. Both got to be good friends, the parents of Marianito thought that Jesus child was a son of landowner and called to the Parson that worked in the place, tried to capture but he didn’t. In the place where disappears this mysterious child, appear the rock with the image of Lord Qoyllur Ritti, after that the followers begin the worship… (Montañas Mágicas del Cusco y Machupicchu).
According to others hypothesis, the rock is a meteorite that fall down over the snow and by his stellar origins the Andean people who watched descended to the sky give his worship. As similar as the Kaaba which in the Islam word is a sacred rock, it is ubicated in the city of the Meca …(Montañas Mágicas del Cusco y Machupicchu).
The Qoyllur Ritti festivity is attracting to variety of person between natives and foreigners, where the faith and folk are inextricably linked with the pilgrimage, where the mountains are moving by the faith.
