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Informative Articles

Book Review : Christmas in Dairyland
Author/Publisher Christmas in Dairyland by LeAnn R. Ralph Published by LeAnn R. Ralph E6689 970th Ave. Colfax, WI 54730 Printed by Booklocker.com ISBN 1-59113-366-1 $13.95, 2003, 153 pages Reviewer Boyd Sutton ...

Christmas Recipes: Main Dishes. No.2 of 12 - Plaice with Tomato and Caper
Serves: 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Calories per serving: 340 Not suitable for freezing Christmas Recipe Ingredients: * Plaice fillets, 8 (550 g, 1.25 lb) * Black Olive Paste, 75 g (5 tbsp) * Dry white...

Democrats Turn Christmas Into Political Stunt
We often hear from the "other side" of the isle how it is Republicans and Conservatives that are grinches and that they are mean and insensitive lying bastards without a care for civility. Ok, I admit I am blunt at times, but at least...

How To Save Up To 70% On Christmas Gifts
How many times have you spent more that you could afford on Christmas gifts for your family? How many times have you bought gifts that weren't what you were looking for and on top of that, paid top dollars for them? It has happened to all of...

What Gals Really Want For Christmas!
Okay, guys: listen up! I am here to tell you what women want for Christmas. You probably already know it, but you don’t understand it. What am I saying? Well, those little ads that have been mysteriously popping up on your dresser, on your...

 
Christmas in Cusco, Peru

The celebration of Christmas in Cusco begins with the dressing-up of the city with coloured lights and garlands. These can be seen everywhere, from the balconies of the Monumental mountain to the streets around the main square, and donate the city with a warm festive ambiance.

On December 24th, hundreds of artisans coming from Cusco and the surrounding towns lay their blankets on the sidewalks -a custom in traditional Andean fairs- and sell carved Nativity handicrafts.

Held in Cusco's main square, Santuranticuy (which means "saints for sale") is a temporary market whose origins go back to the days of the Spanish Vice-royalty. Today it's one of the largest arts-and-crafts fairs in the country.

The central figure of the Christmas fair is the Niño Manuelito, the Andean version of the newborn Jesus. Besides the baby Manuelito, you'll find the other Nativity figures -all with an Andean touch-,


as well as saint's images. Much appreciated are the boxed scenes, known as Retablos, whose small figurines can represent almost every aspect of life, secular or sacred, though for the occasion you'll almost only find Nativity scenes.

Although the fair started as a Christmas specific market, over the years it expanded to include other goods like antiques, silverware, and ceramic objects brought from Pucará and Quinua. At night, street vendors sell a traditional hot and sweet rum punch called ponche, to warm up chilly visitors.

To facilitate both clients and artisans, the fair has been divided into sectors, each of which aggregates a speciality product. Among these you can find decorative ceramic, wood and bark crafts, miniatures and filigrees, silverware, stone crafts, stone sculptures, paintings from the Escuela Cusqueña, and Niños Manuelitos.



About the author:

Journalist, impenitent traveller, and aficionado cook, Ferrer is founder and editor of The Peru Guide.