El Señor de Los Milagros

Making flower petal confetti. 

A dear friend.

The effigy sways back and forth as it is carried through the streets.  I noticed that the sea of people also started to sway back and forth in unison as the effigy drew near.  

My bag of petals is ready!

Finally got to throw it!

The yellow image on the right is made entirely of flower petals. 

A close up of the ladies and their incense burners. 

An older couple throwing balloons and confetti from their apartment window.  I could see them arguing over which to throw first - she won (shocker). 

Today I got to watch one of the largest processions in the world - the procession of El Señor de Los Milargos.  El Señor de Los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) is an image of Jesus that was painted in the 17th century.  During the 18th century, there was a devastating earthquake which nearly destroyed Lima.  The church where the painting hung was nearly demolished, but when the dust cleared, the only thing left standing was the painting.  Also, it's worth mentioning that there were two small earthquakes in Lima last night, (the night before the procession) and people say, "that's how it always happens".
In any case, the procession was a beautiful display of Peruvian solidarity and pride, and I was lucky to be a part of it.