Travel Peru – San Juan Festival Peru Events
Peru Festivals – Backpacking Peru for Great Peru Celebrations
Jul 9, 2009
While June 24th is celebrated in Cuzco as Inti Raymi, or the ‘Festival of the Sun’, in the jungle towns of Peru the festivities are in honor of San Juan, or Saint John.
San Juan Festival, Peru – The Festival of San Juan Bautista, or Saint John the Baptist
In the jungle departments of Peru, San Juan Bautista, known in the English speaking world as Saint John the Baptist, has a special symbolic significance. He symbolizes water and the blessing which it bestows. The life-giving rivers of the Amazon region and the importance of water to all who live in the jungle have lead to Saint John being taken as the patron saint of the rainforest provinces.
Throughout the jungle, in towns such as Iquitos, Tarapoto, Pucallpa and Tingo Maria, the San Juan festival on June 24th is celebrated with an energy to rival that of Independence Day, Easter or Christmas. Public events and smaller festivities sometimes commence ten days or so before the main festival, and often a few days after.
A Peru Family Holiday – Swimming, Dancing & Drinking for the San Juan Festival, Peru 24th June
Most shops and other businesses are closed for the San Juan festival, while a few open in the morning until midday. The towns become deserted as an exodus begins; cars, trucks, motorbikes and mototaxis all loaded with people head for various spots alongside the nearby rivers. This is where everybody traditionally goes to celebrate San Juan, families spending the day by the water which represents their patron saint.
During the day the riverbanks teem with life. Men construct makeshift bamboo ‘tents’ under which mothers care for their young and lay out the traditional food they have already prepared. Everybody, old and young alike, has a dip in the river.
Alcohol is also passed around throughout the day, normally bottled beer and sweet homemade red wine often made from the locally grown Borgoña grapes.
Juane, the Traditional Regional Dish Eaten for the San Juan Festivals, Peru
Huge amounts of juanes are also consumed on the day. Named in honor of San Juan himself, these are prepared on the eve of the festival. Steamed rice (normally flavored with turmeric, garlic and chopped onion) is stuffed with chicken, egg and olives and then wrapped in a parcel of banana leaves.
These are shared out between family members and friends, and often gifted to strangers; the ever-present hospitality and friendliness of the jungle-dwelling Peruvians is even more in evidence during the festival.
San Juan Festival, Peru – Traditional Peruvian Music and Dance
People start to leave the riverside and head back into town as the sun sets. While some family members go home to relax and put children to bed, others head towards clubs, bars discos and outdoor parties to dance away the night.
Some dance the traditional ‘Pandilla’ around wooden poles or fires, others go to discos playing more modern regional or national tunes. Whatever the music, it is normally accompanied by a good deal of beer, and lasts well into the night.
The following day is often a slow one, as the towns and cities of the Peruvian Amazon creep back into life. Left-over juanes are eaten, helping to cure various hang-overs from the previous day’s festivities. When night falls street parades can be seen making their way through town, colorfully lit by children carrying paper lanterns.
The San Juan Festival, the Perfect Time to Travel Peru for One of the Great Peru Events
During the week of the San Juan festival is the ideal time to visit the towns and villages of the Peruvian jungle, and a great time to travel Peru. Choose a destination and arrive early enough to secure a hotel room (especially in the more popular towns). It is an entertaining cultural experience in the midst of the friendly and welcoming people of Peru, whether relaxing by the river or dancing through the night.
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