12:56 | Cusco, Jun. 11 (ANDINA).
More than 430 police and municipal police officers will provide security during Cusco's most important religious festival, Corpus Christi, which falls on June 23 this year.
The Archdiocese of Cusco and the Empresa Municipal de Festejos (Emufec), which organize the festival, have taken preventive measures themselves to ensure no untoward incident take place.
According to vicar general Israel Condorhuamán, Civil Defense personnel will also help ensure the safety of residents and tourists who join the procession of 15 saints and virgins taken from different churches around Cusco to the city's main square.
The festival of Corpus Christi, which is Latin for 'the body of Christ', has been celebrated all over Peru since colonial times, but reaches a high point in Cusco.
Fifteen saints and virgins from various districts are borne in a procession to the Cathedral where they "greet" the body of Christ embodied in the Sacred Host, kept in a fabulous gold goblet weighing 26 kilos and standing 1.2 meters high.
Fancy garb and talented dancers and musicians make the event a truly cultural experience. The festival brings together over 100,000 people every year and also includes a massive feast of traditional Andean dishes.
(END) PHS/JOT/PGS/EEP
Publicado: 11/6/2011