Peru is a Catholic country which means every school that follows the national curriculum takes religion class, this includes private and public schools. Regardless of a child’s faith at home, everyone learns about Catholicism. The only exception to this requirement is if a school does not follow the national curriculum, these are mainly IB schools like COAR. Due to the deep Catholic roots, when a Catholic holiday shows up on the calendar everyone COMES OUT!

The morning of our second day in Moyobamba, Holly and I went to the thermal baths to soak with Julio and his wife Marina. Most locals go there in the early morning to beat the tourist crowds and enjoy the warm waters before 7am. Typically, it is just a time to refresh, but during the San Juan festival it has different symbolic significance. The thermal baths represent St. John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus and people trek for miles to soak in the thermal baths after dancing the Pandilla up the mountainside. Holly and I went on Saturday morning, the day before the San Juan festival, to enjoy the waters before the festivities began. Like most pools or springs you have to rinse yourself first before soaking. The warm water felt amazing, but the cold rinse after brought my soul to life. As we were sitting in the water, one of the locals told me that I really stood out glancing at my red hair and we shared a chuckle.

After a lovely soak and a quick change, Brenda and I got a motortaxi for 9am mass. The church was PACKED! Yes, it was Corpus Christi, a holy day of obligation, but still I was shocked by the number of people attending. There were so many people that they even had to pull plastic chairs out to accommodate everyone and still there were some standing! Throughout the service, I knew when most of the prayers were and picked up as much Spanish as I could and with the ever lovely Brenda’s help I got more of the gist of the homily. The priest reminded people that San Juan would be very disappointed by all of the drinking and partying that the holiday had embodied and to be our best selves going forward when celebrating. I chuckled and also braced myself for the festivities to come.

After returning to the hotel, we took a boat tour on the Rio de Mayo. This beautiful river is a tributary of the Huallaga River that flows from the Peruvian Amazon into the San Martin region. When we arrived, the Rio de Mayo had numerous boats floating alongside. Some were more traditional boats with reeds atop while others were motorboats made of this aluminum looking material painted blue. Some people go fishing in the river and sometimes even swimming; however, I wasn’t feeling particularly brave that day haha. My favorite image of the day was seeing the blue shaded mountains contrast against the brown rushing river and verdant leaves along the bank. It was truly stunning. For lunch, I ate some traditional Chaufa Regional cuisine and enjoyed a beverage with my coteacher, Julio!

In the evening, we headed to the Moyobamba Plaza where in the heart of the city the Catholic church resides. When we arrived, people were hunched over the sidewalk of the town square creating some beautiful images out of something I couldn’t quite place. As we approached, I realized they were covering beautiful chalk outlines with dyed wood shavings. These dyed wood shavings outlined different Catholic symbols like the Eucharist, Monstrance, doves, cross…etc. As I walked around I was in utter awe and couldn’t help but think what happens when a giant gust of wind comes? After asking Julio more about the designs, he told me they were creating a Holy Path for the Monstrance.

As more and more people gathered around the city center they stood on either side of the path leaving the symbols untouched. Once 7:30 mass ended, everyone exited the church and waited for the giant Monstrance to arrive. Incense filled the night air as the people carrying the Monstrance began to walk on top of the Holy Path of dyed wood shavings that took hours and hours of labor. The rest of the congregation followed suit and the dyed wood shavings and images all began to blend together. I couldn’t help but think this entire process was a symbol of time, patience, and labors of love and intention. I pondered that some beautiful things are not meant to stay as they are; rather are meant to change and metamorph into something new.

Something that I have further recognized about Peru is how involved the community is. From parents preparing food for our arrival at schools, to the warmth of a buenas tardes from a stranger in the afternoon, to witnessing the sprinkling of wood shavings by the young and the old. I am constantly in awe witnessing how people continue to show up for others here in Peru.

After following the path for a bit, we headed to Marina’s shop to buy some traditional dresses for the San Juan festival tomorrow. I picked a lovely jungle skirt, a shirt with embroidered flowers, a mantilla to wave, and a necklace of pearls. My friends got a stunning skirt quilted with different patches and a traditional flower dress. With all of our gear gathered we were ready for the San Juan festivities in the morning!

The San Juan Festival is an exceptionally important holiday for the people of the Amazon, particularly those from Moyobamba. The festival celebrates San Juan or Saint John the Baptist and his baptism of Jesus. To represent this baptism, the people wake up at 5am and dance from the city center all the way up the mountainside until they reach the thermal baths. Women wear traditional flower dresses, wave mantillas, and pearl necklaces. Men wear white shirts and black pants. Everyone dances the Pandilla as they make their way up the mountainside and the smiles and joy from every dancer and community member is truly a one of a kind experience.

We joined the dancing festivities at the base of the mountainside and made our way up the hills dancing with the locals. It was an absolute and utter BLAST! Talking, dancing, swaying, laughing and smiling the whole way up. It was such an exuberant and joyous experience. Throughout the path people carried their mantillas, an axe, or a tall structure with a circle at the top with various things hanging off of it. This thing with the circle on the top is called an unsha. People will dance around the unsha and take turns trying to chop it down with the axe. The axe continues to be passed around until at last the unsha falls. When the unsha falls, everyone rushes and tries to collect the presents at the top that have fallen. It was a wild thing to witness and I’m pretty sure I saw some elbows thrown.

Once we made it up to the thermal baths, we watched various dance performances on stage. Every group had a different routine and outfit. I felt like it truly represented the diversity of experiences, identity, and culture that the Amazon offers. After that, we made our way back to our school in our traditional clothing where we danced with our students and learned some of their favorite line dances. It was an absolute blast. Even though I used the axe, I didn’t knock the unsha nor win any prizes from it…haha I think it was for the best! After that, I tried juane, a traditional food of the Amazon often eaten during the San Juan festival. It is banana leaves wrapped in rice and meat….delicious! When we returned from dancing at the school, a stunning rainbow filled the sky making it a perfect end to a wonderful day.

It was a great two days learning more about the culture of Moyobamba through dance and food and I truly can’t wait to hear more about these students lives.

Peace & Love,

Sarah