Every October in the whole of
Peru hundreds and thousands of people celebrate Senor de los Milagros (Lord of
Miracles).
What is Senor de los Milagros?
Well it is an image painted of Jesus Christ which was painted in an adobe wall
located in the main altar of the Shrine of the Nazarene in Peru. This image was apparently painted by a black
slave in the 17th Century.
The image shows Chris enduring
the pain of crucifixion. And above the cross id the Holy Spirit and God the
Father. Below and to the right of Jesus
is his mother, the Virgin Mary. She has her heart pierced by a metaphorical
sword of sorrow and to her right at the foot of the cross is Mary Magdalene.
This image of Christ got its
name, Senor de los Milagros, because in the 18th Century there was a
massive earthquake which destroyed most of Lima, leaving only the mural
standing up, which people said was a miracle.
This Catholic festival is the
most celebrated in Peru and it takes a month to celebrate it with street
processions, decorating streets in purple and even wearing purple dresses
(woman) or shirts (men) every day of October.
Purple is used to celebrate the
fact the Lord loves us so much he died on the cross for us. In the procession
they join the Virgin Mary and St John with pain but with deep gratitude and joy
for the salvation and new life given by Jesus. To them this is the greatest
miracle.
When we were in Puno we saw a procession celebrated Senor de los Milagros. Here are some photos:
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