Peruvian Holidays 2
Peru has too many holidays to fit into one article. Cusco is an important Peruvian cultural hub, but it is not the only one. Each of the Peruvian regions has its unique folkloric and religious expressions – some of them world famous and rightfully so. What celebrations are popular throughout the Peruvian coast? Which festival is as big as the Rio Carnival? Don’t miss them on your Peruvian holidays!
Peruvian Holidays
After the colorful glittery fireworks of the New Year’s Eve and the recent joyful throwing of water bombs, an inseparable element of the summer Carnival Celebrations throughout Peru, what other Peruvian holidays are we looking forward to this year? Experience them during your visit!
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Quechua
Most importantly Quechua speakers refer to their mother tongue as runasimi, which means ‘human speech’.[1] It is one of the 47 original languages spoken in Peru. Quechua is also spoken in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.[2] With the Inca conquest of more and more territory Quechua spread in a similar way Latin did in Europe with the Ancient Roman expansion. ‘Today there are approximately 24 dialects of Quechua […]. All of these varieties combined are spoken by approximately eight to 10 million people, making Quechua the most widely spoken indigenous language in the Americas.’ [3]
Here in Cusco Quechua is more than alive and kicking. You can hear it talking on the cell phone while going by bus. You can see it advertising Cusqueña the local beer from Cusco on TV. And also Oro (Gold) bubble-gum yellow soda in several witty TV commercials as if from the Inca times – don’t miss the twelve-angled pizza delivery one. Quechua studies at a university. It is taught in schools, language institutes and universities in Peru. Even foreigners living in here are learning this Andean language in workshops and courses organized by institutions like Dirección Regional de Educación de Cusco. What’s more Quechua is also taught at universities and language institutes outside of Cusco, outside of Peru and even outside of South America.