| has gloss | eng: Qoyllur Riti is a religious festival held annually in honor of the Lord of Qoyllur Riti at the Sinakara Valley in the Cusco Region of Peru. According to local traditions, the celebration originated in 1780, when a young native herder called Mariano Mayta befriended a mestizo boy, called Manuel on Mount Colquepunku. Thanks to Manuel, Marianos herd prospered so his father sent him to buy clothes for the two boys in Cusco. Mariano took a sample of Manuels clothes but could not find anything similar because that kind of cloth was only worn by the archbishop. The latter sent a party to investigate but when they tried to grab Manuel, he became a bush with an image of Christ hanging from it. Thinking they had harmed his friend, Mariano died on the spot and was buried under a rock. An image of Christ painted over this boulder became known as the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i which means Lord of Star Snow. |
