Dancing around trees and throwing with water balloons: Celebrating the Carnivals in Peru

One of Peru’s most popular and lively traditions are the Carnivals. This festivity, probably inherited from Europe, is mixed with traditions from the Andes, the jungle and the coast.

Among the most wide-spread carnival customs in Peru you can also find the felling of a tree. People dance around the tree in couples. Afterwards the couples try to fell the tree with an axe. When the tree finally falls down, children and adults rush towards it to get the presents. The tree usually has various presents according to the region in which the act is realized. This practice also has different names according to the region.

The throwing of water during this celebration is generalized in whole Peru and it lasts for several days. Since the 20th century this practice is done by filling balloons or buckets with water. Then people follow the inhabitants until they wet them.

These festivities have a special nuance which mixes the natural with the subnatural, the religious with the pagan, the worldly and the cosmic. Its origins in the antiquity come from a mix of festivities and rituals in favor of the Pacha Mama (the Earth), the animals and the plants. Indeed, nature was considered as a deity in the antiquity. In this way, each village went developing its own identity and way to express it.

If you got inspired by the carnivals in Peru, Chaskiventura - Peru Travel is waiting for you! Simply plan your next Peru trip for February to celebrate this festivity with us. Our Peru Tour Operator also gives you the opportunity to go to local communities with the Ethnotourism module.