The end of February – time for the Ucayalino Carnival!

We are ready to please you with good news again! Although new lockdown restrictions are introduced in several areas of Peru, our region (Ucayali) is still in an area of minimal impact from the pandemic. In this regard, the local authorities have not canceled the traditional carnival. Moreover, in 2021 this event is held for the anniversary (30th time) and therefore promises to become a real extravaganza! The carnival started on February 13 and will run until March 1. The city of Pucallpa in the Ucayali region is the center of this festival, one of the main festivals in all of eastern Peru in February and March.

The first celebration of this carnival took place in 1991. Since then, this colorful festival, in which the distinctive traditions of the local population are expressed, has invariably attracted the attention of Peruvian and foreign tourists. In fact, the main task of the carnival is to rescue the ancestral customs that are gradually disappearing and to strengthen local cultural identity.

One of the main symbols of the Ucayalino Carnival is Humisha Huallpa Pampascapus. It is a sacred tree decorated with many gifts and colored ribbons. Local residents gather around it, performing folk dances to traditional music, playing various games, sprinkling themselves with colorful talcum powder, painting their bodies with drawings with mythical subjects, and pouring water on themselves and passers-by. Then comes the game time, during which everyone tries to knock the best gift from the tree.

Chimaichi is one of the traditional dances of the Ucayali region, which has always remained an integral part of the carnival. Thanks to this dance, the locals keep their original traditions and customs in memory. Also during the holiday, a parade of automobile platforms, decorated in an allegorical and mythological style, is held: they constantly circulate through the central streets of Pucallpa. As at the famous Brazilian carnival, such decorated cars are a place for lively dances of local fashionistas who not only show off their outfits and natural beauty, but also, using all the charm and sexuality, are looking for a future spouse. 🙂

An obligatory act of the festive extravaganza is also the Miss Carnival contest, which is also accompanied by traditional shamanic rituals. In our Ecolodge, we will also hold it among all the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity. 🙂