Qoyllur Rit'i - Festival

Festival

The festival is organized by the Brotherhood of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i (Spanish: Hermandad del Señor de Qoyllur Rit'i), a lay organization which is also in charge of keeping order during the feast. Preparations start on the feast of the Ascension when the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i is carried in procession from its chapel at Mawallani to its sanctuary at Sinakara. On the first Wednesday after Pentecost, a second procession carries a statue of Our Lady of Fatima from the Sinakara sanctuary to an uphill grotto. Most pilgrims arrive by Trinity Sunday when the Blessed Sacrament is taken in procession through the sanctuary; the following day the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i is taken in procession to the grotto of the Virgin and back. On the night of this second day, dance troupes take turns to perform in the shrine. At dawn on the third day, ukukus grouped by moieties climb the glaciers on Mount Colquepunku to retrieve crosses set on top, they also bring back blocks of the ice, which is believed to have medicinal qualities. They undertake this because they are considered the only ones capable of dealing with condenados, which are said to inhabit the snowfields. According to oral traditions, ukukus from different moieties used to engage in ritual battles on the glaciers but this practice was banned by the Catholic Church. After a mass celebrated later this day, most pilgrims leave the sanctuary except for a group which carries the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i in procession to Tayankani before taking it back to Mawallani.