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 Chocolatadas

Chocolatadas are like Peruvian Christmas parties and are a very unique tradition to the Peruvian culture. This event is normally organized by churches, businesses, or shops that are better off than most people. They give a cup of chocolate to each village member and sweet bread, and sometimes children receive toys. (Christmas in Peru) Panetones, which is like fruit bread, and all the ingredients needed to make hot chocolate such as chocolate bars, evaporated milk, cinnamon sticks, and sugar are brought to these parties. The whole village puts forward effort by starting open fires and getting big pots of water to place over the fire. The women of the villages stir together all the ingredients to make the hot chocolate for the poor. Meanwhile everybody else is slicing the cake so that everybody gets a piece. The cake pieces are large and smothered with butter. All the children are served first and the adults second. Tables and chairs are set up around the drinks and cake so people can gather and have fun on Christmas Eve. (DB Peru)

This event is taking part at Christmas Eve in Cuzco. In Cuzco they decorate the Plaza de Armas with large biblical animals covered in lights. The streets of Cuzco are frantic and filled with cheerful people dressed in traditional clothing. Mothers have young children on their backs while older kids are running through the streets getting their chocolate and sweet bread. As midnight approaches families reunite and lay down on the streets and watch the fireworks over their heads. The end of Christmas Eve is ended with hundreds of colorful and bright fireworks exploding simultaneously. (Christmas in Cuzco, Peru) Home Page