It is October in Lima, also known as
mes morado, the Purple Month.
There are purple banners hung along streets in downtown Lima, purple candles sold on street corners, desserts tied with purple bows displayed in bakery windows. A favorite pastry is a flat, candy- and syrup-drenched affair known as Turron de Dona Pepa.
On city streets and in banks and restaurants, you'll find people dressed in purple head to toe. Usually they are middle-aged ladies wearing conservative knee-length dresses and pants suits. Sometimes it will be a child dressed in a purple robe with matching cape.
Occasionally you will see a trendsetter in a purple mini skirt, purple tights and black leather riding boots, like the young woman I saw in Wong last October. (I wish I had taken her picture.)
The people in purple nearly always accessorize with a thick, white cord, like the belt worn by Friar Tuck.
If I were back in the United States and stumbled on a holiday in which people dress all in purple and stuff themselves with sweets, I'd probably assume it was
Willy Wonka Day.
Here in Peru, where fervent, color-coordinated festivities usually signal religious events, I know better than to associate
mes morado with a Roald Dahl character, particularly one played on screen by Johnny Depp.
Purple Month is dedicated to El Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles), a miraculous Christ figure that dates to the 1600s and whose image (actually, images) are housed in the Church of the Nazarene, in downtown Lima.
As freelance writer and blogger Cliff describes it on
klephblog:
There is, perhaps, nothing more Peruvian than The Lord of Miracles. For almost the whole month of October is devoted to this unique religious icon and it is venerated by Peruvians across the globeThe Lord of Miracles, or El Señor de los Milagros as it is known in Spanish, is actually a centuries-old painting on the wall of a relatively obscure church in central Lima.
According to tradition, in 1651 a slave who had converted to Catholicism painted the depiction of Christ on the cross on the wall of a building in the outskirts of Lima where new devotees to the faith gathered to pray.When a devastating earthquake struck the city four years later the entire building collapsed except for the wall adorned with the painting. Over the next several decades, the image became associated with miraculous incidents. More and more people, particularly the descendents of slaves, began to worship at the site.
Every October, hundreds of thousands of worshippers line the streets of Lima for a series of processions with El Señor de los Milagros. An elaborate oil painting of the original mural is carried on a silver litter weighing two tons. Groups of devotees take turns carrying the phenomenally heavy litter, while other worshippers pray and sing along the processional route. It is a remarkable demonstration of faith and devotion, similar to Holy Week processions held throughout the Americas but centered on a Christ figure unique to Peru.
I've found several excellent introductions to the cult of El Señor de los Milagros, published online, with descriptions and rather amazing photographs of the events.
In addition to Kleph's essay, "The Lord of Miracles
" (October 2006), I recommend Alejandro of PeruFood's post on "October in Lima: The Purple Month." Alejandro discusses the history of the religious holiday and discusses the distinctive foods associated with mes morado, including Turrón de Doña Pepa, anticuchos (grilled cow's hearts), and picarones (pumpkin fritters with syrup).
Other bloggers and reporters offer glimpses of how Peruvian expatriates celebrate mes morado around the globe. Peter Holderness, writing for Media Reports, describes
a recent Lord of the Miracles procession in Chicago, complete with a 2,500-lb litter.
Artist Luis Colan reports on events in New York City, where a brotherhood of El Señor de los Milagros began in the 1970s. He also vividly recalls participating in the Lima processions as a child, when he was nearly crushed by the crowd but still was thrilled by the experience.
From his blog The Deacon's Bench, a Roman Catholic deacon in Baltimore describes a 2007 El Señor de los Milagros procession in Baltimore, Maryland. Deacon Greg Kanda notes that "the pageantry and devotion will be familiar to anyone who has ever witnessed the San Gennaro festival, a staple of many Italian-American communities."
Google searches turn up numerous videos of processions in Lima, New York, and Hollywood
.
This past Monday, El Fotógrafo, El Híjo and I went to the Church of Las Nazarenas, to visit the litter of The Lord of the Miracles in Peru. Even though there was no procession that day, the streets were jammed with purple-clad devotees, and people were lined up halfway around the block to attend Mass in the church.
I admit that El Señor was an impressive sight on his silver litter. Thick palo santo incense scented the air. People pressed close to the image clutching photos of their children and loved ones, hoping for a blessing or a cure.
We bought a small silver and gold icon of El Señor to bring home.
---Barbara Drake
Shopping Links:
El Senor de los Milagros icon on eBay
Senor de los Milagros stamps (on eBay)
Susana Baca album: El Senor de los Milagros (on Amazon)
It is October in Lima, also known as mes morado, the Purple Month.
There are purple banners hung along streets in downtown Lima, purple candles sold on street corners, desserts tied with purple bows displayed in bakery windows. A favorite pastry is a flat, candy- and syrup-drenched affair known as Turron de Dona Pepa.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Peruanista // Oct 14, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Hi Barbara, I wrote a brief story of the Lord of Miracles tradition in my blog (in Spanish) but now I think I will translated into my rough English. There are great stories behind the procession.
2 Barb // Oct 15, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hey, Carlos — I’d like to see the English translation of your story. Don’t worry about the “rough” part — it’s probably way better than what I write in Spanish. I think that other Peruvians in the US will appreciate it as well. According to that news amalgamate Latino Tips, there are 35 million Latinos in the US who speak only English or are fully bilingual (which surprised me — didn’t know there were that many). I don’t know what percentage of that is made up of Peruvian-Americans, but it’s got to be at least half a million.
Post the URL for your Spanish-language story in this comments section, so my readers can find it, and add the English URL when you post that version.
3 el kibitzer // Oct 16, 2008 at 11:29 pm
barb,
i remember when i was little, i had to wear a purple tie to school, instead of the regular school tie. some kids had the purple tie with the image of “el senor” on them. check my blog tomorrow for “el senor de los milagros” celebrations in new jersey.
chau for now,
“el kibitzer”
4 Angi // Oct 25, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Your comment about Willi Wonka was hilarious. I have always been able to observe “la procesion” from a third party’s perspective— analyzing details that my family never even acknowledged. It was refreshing to read your observations about “mes morado”. Personally, la procesion and mes morado are cultural events more than religious ones. Despite the fact that my family would probably disown me for these sentiments, I will always have a piece of Peru in me
5 HENRY // Aug 6, 2009 at 12:59 pm
AS A DEVOTEE OF EL SENOR DE LOS MILAGROS, IT MADE MY EYES MISTY TO SEE THAT YOU WOULD WRITE SOMETHING NICE ABOUT EL SENOR DE LOS MILAGROS. AS A MEMBER HERE IN MIAMI OF HERMANDAD DEL SENOR DE LOS MILAGROS DE LA FLORIDA, I GO TO LIMA EVERY YEAR AND I’M PRIVILEGED TO GO INSIDE THE ROPE IN THE PROCESSION THERE. TO REALLY FEEL THE PROCESSION YOU AS A “REPORTER” WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO INSIDE THE ROPE TO REALLY REPORT ON WHAT THIS SENOR DE LOS MILAGROS IS ALL ABOUT, NOT UNLESS YOU HAVE DONE SO ALREADY. STILL THANKS A BILLION FOR YOUR ARTICLE, AND VIVA EL SENOR DE LOS MILAGROS !!!
6 Barb // Aug 6, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Henry, I’d like to know more about “going inside the rope.” Can you send me your email info through the Contact form on the left?