New Year is coming up fast and Peru is full of traditions and superstitions, here are some you may or may not have heard of. Tell me if I have missed some:

1. Placing lentils into your pockets at midnight, and wishing for money whilst doing so.

2. Dressing up a large doll or effigy (sometimes stuffed with fireworks) with old clothes and burning it on the street. This signifies getting rid of the old, and making a new start.

Lighting colored candles.

3.Wearing new clothes—typically underwear. This typically goes hand-in-hand with wearing specific colors that represent something you desire in the upcoming year: Yellow for luck and happiness, green for money, red for love, and white for health or fertility.

4. Eating 12 grape as the clock strikes 12 to bring luck to every month of the year.

5. If you want to travel in the upcoming year, you should take a suitcase or briefcase and carry it around the block on New Year's Eve.

By: GringoPerú

Throughout history it is easy to forget those that made a change to society as many others take the limelight, so for this article I shall write about Hermilio Valdizán who specialized in the areas of psychiatry and neurology and helped bring awareness to these subjects in a time where in Peru these subjects were not well explored.

Hermilio Valdizán Medrano was born on the 20th of November 1885 in Huánuco,Peru to Mr. Hermilio Valdizán and Mrs. Juana Medrano and in 1894 they moved to Lima. At the age of 18, Valdizan entered Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (National University of San Marcos) after six years of studying he graduated from Medicine with his thesis “La delincuencia en el Perú” (Crime in Peru,1909) which he documented various factors of crime in social groups in Peru. 

After he was awarded a scholarship he then travelled to Bolonia, Italy in 1911 where he studied and he continued to travel to places like France and Switzerland and this where he specialized in psychiatry however, the outbreak of First World War made him return to Peru in 1914. 

A year after his return to Peru on the 27th of November 1915 he graduated as a doctor with his thesis “Los factores etiológicos de la alienación mental “(The etiological factors of mental alienation). 

With this he created the first outpatient clinic of Nervous and Mental Illness in the Hospital Dos de Mayo and also became the first professor of Neuropathology and Psychiatry in Peru, teaching not only psychiatry but about the methods of treatment.

It was well known that Valdizán opposed the treatment used for patients at that time for example the use of straitjackets and stocks which he deemed inhumane. He proposed and used more scientific methods in treating his patients believing that fair treatment of the patient would help them in the long run. 

Valdizán was also well informed about the treatment methods of the towns and communities of the highlands and the jungle, he also studied the damaging effects of the “Peruvian Wart”or Carrion’s Disease. Valdizán even studied the history of medicine and in 1913 published his work called “La facultad de Medicina de Lima” (The faculty of Medicine) in which he describes how the study of medicine changed during different eras of Peru the conquest, the colonial times and the republic. He continued to work in the field of psychiatry and neurology occasionally writing for a newspaper. 

Hermilio Valdizán died on the 25th of December 1929 due to heart issues; he is known as “The Father of Peruvian Psychiatry” and on the 20th of November in Peru is known as Día de la Psiquiatría (Day of Psychiatry) and is day to remember the work of Hermilio Valdizán Medrano however, this day is commonly forgotten.

By: GringoPerú

The Presbitero Maestro Cemetery (Cementerio Presbítero Matías Maestro) is located in Barrios Altos, Lima and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Peru and is considered the first municipal cemetery in Latin America.

The cemetery was commissioned under Viceroy Fernando de Abascal and was built between 1805 and 1808 at an estimated cost of 110,000 pesos and spanning 2 hectare on what was then the outskirts of the city of Lima, due to the rapid expansion of the city the cemetery is no longer on the outskirts. The cemetery itself is named after the architect Matías Maestro who was born in Spain in 1766, he arrived to Peru in 1790 and till his death in 1835 he helped construct and design important projects and building of Lima. 

When the cemetery was inaugurated on the 31st May 1808 it met a lot of opposition due to the fact that before this kind of burial became the norm in Latin America it was common for people to be buried beneath the churches in catacombs for example the catacombs that can be found in the San Francisco Church in downtown Lima but this was outlawed by José de San Martín. 

This cemetery contains 766 mausoleums and 92 monuments all in a neoclassic design (French and Italian design) it is also important to know the class system that is evident in this cemetery, the most distinguished people were buried it large, extravagant tombs/crypts, those who were not super rich yet had money were buried in what is called “Los nichos” these large rectangular structures in which people are buried within spaces and finally the common people were buried in ossuaries which is sort of like a common ground for burial especially if space is scarce. 

According to one historian José Bocanegra, there is an anecdote about the first person to be buried at the new site and it goes like this. It was decided that the first person to be buried at this new cemetery would the Spanish Archbishop Juan Domingo Gonzales de la Reguera however, a day before the inauguration a painter by the name of Francisco Acosta while working had an accident and died. This meant that Mr. Acosta should have been buried there first but the authorities decided to hide the body till they could bury the Archbishop first and only when that happened they could then proceed to give Mr. Acosta a proper funeral. 

Another important feature of The Presbitero Maestro Cemetery is the “Cripta de los Héroes” (The Crypt of Heroes) and is the place where those that fought in “The War of the Pacific” (1879 to 1883) were laid to rest. The central part of the crypt has 234 nichos and the sarcophagus of Andrés Avelino Cáceres (1833 to 1923). In the central part 5 ossuaries can be found these contain the remains of remains of those that were not identified but helped in the battles of Tarapacá and Angamos; Tacna and Arica; San Juan, Chorrillos and the District of Miraflores; Huamachuco; and San Pablo. Below this central level lie the remains of the heroes that Peru come to learn about during the dark years of the war these include Francisco Bolognesi, Miguel Grau Seminario and Alfonso Ugarte.

The Presbitero Maestro Cemetery is currently the resting place of 220000 people and one of the oldest tombs that remain intact is thought to be of a woman that lived in the San Juan de Dios neighborhood and was buried there in 1810, popular belief suggests she became a saint. Many people leave flowers, candles or offerings on this tomb some devoted followers tell their sins and other look for help or a miracle. 

This site was designated a National Historic Monument in 1972 but ageing, pollution from nearby factories, population pressure, and vandalism have caused significant damage to the structures, the government have tried to implement changes that will protect this site but more needs to be done to preserve the site. 

On a final note the cemetery is also a popular place for shamans or “witches” who like to practice things like black magic and such within the cemetery and of course this site as many legend and myths told differently by different people. Also some people like to take a guided tour at night around the site where popular ghost’s stories are told.

In summary this a very old and scared site that has spanned across the years holding many remains of important military and political figures but also that of the people and is in need of care because what is lost now cannot be regained, it is important we all do our best to protect such venerable sites.

By: GringoPerú

Looking at this picture many of you who are living in Lima probably have passed by it many times. It is Parque Salazar ("Salazar Park") in Miraflores next to the Commercial Centre Larcomar. 

The history of this park begins with Alfredo Salazar Southwell (1913 – 14 September 1937) a Peruvian aviator, Salazar was very studious gaining high marks in his school. He joined the Peruvian Air Force in 1932 and In 1935 he finished his military studies gaining the rank of Sub-Ensign and became a flight instructor for other cadets. By 1936 he was promoted again to the rank of Flight Officer. 

On the 14 of September 1937 while celebrating the inauguration of a monument to Jorge Chávez, the airplane he was piloting started emitting smoke while doing a rehearsal. He ordered his copilot, a mechanical technician Carlos Fajardo to abandon the aircraft using the parachute, initially he refused but then later accepted. In order to minimize damage and civilian deaths Salazar veered the aircraft out of the populated areas and crashed into a field that is now Parque Salazar, he was killed instantly. 

Salazar's quick thinking and sacrifice is remembered and he is considered a hero for this. 

The monument of the condor that stands there now was inaugurated in 1953 and is the work of a Hungarian sculptor Lajos D’Ebnet and is made of rocks found in the Highlands of Peru so the monument is not easily affected by the heat nor by the humidity.

By GringoPeru

Everyone knows that the 31st October is Halloween, the history of Halloween stretches way back and can be traced back to the Celtic people around 2000 year ago but is nowadays it is more related to the USA as they make all festivals big and bold and although not so popular in Peru the influence from the USA is here but mainly for young children who want to dress up and just another excuse to have large parties. 

Criollo was originally used as a term of class in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, those that were born locally with confirmed Spanish ancestry however, in the case of Criolla Song Day the day is more about celebrating a union of Spanish, African and indigenous elements present in many types of Peruvian music.  

(By the way the word is "Criollo", in the name "Criolla music day, the ending vowel changes from"o" to "a"  just for grammatical conjugation but means the same) 

It is also obvious to see that since the Spanish had more of an influence on the coast of Peru like in Lima the celebration of Criollo culture is more recognized than in the rest of the Peru like the highlands and the jungle. The day was officially created in 1944 and according to some sources the day was going to originally be the 18th October but this coincided with the celebration of Señor de los Milagros and so it was given the day of 31st October by the president Manuel Prado Ugarteche. 

On this day you will hear a lot of Criollo music especially that of Bartola, Eva Ayllon and Chabuca Granda and this accompanied with many live acts which can be seen in many places often people who like this tradition may go to “peñas” which are restaurants that have live music events. 

When you listen to Criolla music you will notice that must of the music has certain instruments, instruments that are very representative of this culture is the “caja” a wooden box which is played similar to a drum expect the person sits on top of it and it is hit with the hands and the acoustic guitar. Dances also accompany this day for example “El Festejo” is a well-known Afro-Peruvian dance which has a fast rhythm and especially with this dance the dancers must be flexible since this dance involves a lot of movement.

So for this day whether you are a Halloween fan or Criolla song fan have a great day, also you will see that the idea of Halloween has been mix in with the Criolla day so don’t be surprised to see someone dressed up as a skeleton playing the “caja” haahha...

of course I'll celebrate Dia de la Música Criolla :D eating some delicious criolla dishes uhmmm Aji de Gallina, Cau cau.... rico!!!