Señor de los Milagros

Señor de Los Milagros, or Lord of Miracles, is a Peruvian cultural tradition I’ve been very fortunate to experience in my first month here. The name originated from the 17th century, where an earthquake destroyed all of Lima but left a mural of Christ (see picture) standing intact. Celebrations occur during various days in the month of October, and the streets are a flourish of purple and white balloons and processions of people following replicas of the painting with song and prayer.

My first experience of the procession occurred at the Colegio Especial (school for children with mental/physical disabilities) that I work at a few days a week. I have to preface this experience by saying that the small courtyard in the middle of Colegio can be quite chaotic, as over 100 grade school aged children attend this school. During recess I dodge balls and other playground equipment, running children, assistive devices, and the occasional vehicle in this space- and there’s usually only one class out there at a time.

That being said, last Tuesday in between patients, I was drawn out into the courtyard by religious music and prayers over a loudspeaker. There in the courtyard sat all of the children and their teachers, surrounding a moveable platform beautifully decorated in purple. It was quiet and calm and incredibly moving. Some students sang along and many participated by either carrying the platform from spot to spot or by contributing flowers to adorn it. I can’t really explain the feeling except to say that it seemed to be a small miracle in itself that there was such a spiritual calmness in the air of what is otherwise a rather disorganized chaos.

My second procession participation occurred later in the week right outside of my house! Every year this particular procession spans the entire district of La Esperanza. It, too, was beautiful and I am moved by the faith of the people here, which seems to be incredibly strong and prioritized, regardless of age- teenagers, children, and adults alike. Apparently, this procession, which occurs throughout Peru, is considered the largest Catholic procession in the world.