Virgen de la Candelaria outside Puno cathedral Peru
by James Brunker
Title
Virgen de la Candelaria outside Puno cathedral Peru
Artist
James Brunker
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Virgen de la Candelaria / Our Lady of Light / Our Lady of Candles in front of the impressive carved stone facade of Puno cathedral in southern Peru. The celebration is one of Peru's largest festivals and takes place at the start of February. February 2nd is the official saint's day; the main festivities last for nearly 2 weeks. In this image she has just been carried out of the cathedral by soldiers for the central mass which takes place on a large raised area in front of the cathedral overlooking Puno's central square. In the foreground are decorations made of thousands of flower petals. The festival was added to the UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2014.
Candlemas (also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ and the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple and is one of the oldest feasts of the church. The Virgen de la Candelaria is the patron saint of the Canary Islands and one of the most venerated forms of the Virgin Mary in Latin America; many Canary Islanders sailed on ships to the Americas during the Spanish conquest and colonisation of the continent.
Photograph © James Brunker. Reproduction, transmission or publication in any form without prior written permission strictly prohibited.
Uploaded
February 3rd, 2024
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Comments (1)
Tatiana Travelways
Wow, I god goosebumps seeing the dedicated soldiers - Wonderful!
James Brunker replied:
Thank you Tatiana, they often have quite a job trying to keep the huge crowds in order too......!