The Great Journey

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[ Pilgrimage with Stars and Snow ]

June. As many as 300 musical bands get together at the chapel at the altitude of 4,600m. For the next 5 days, a pilgrimage with stars and snow was going to be held in the valley of Qoyllur Rit'i, 90 km from Cusco, the capital of the Incaic Empire. Fifty thousand pilgrims visit, some from far away villages with their own food and firewood on their back.. They sleep in the open with a flimsy shelter of stones and plastic sheets.
As the number of people grew, the bands started to play their own music here and there in the valley. Their music created a strange harmony though some were out of tune. The mysterious symphony lasted until the last night of this 5-day pilgrimage. Pilgrims are here for both the sacred prayer and more worldly interests. They buy toys like trucks, houses, and ranches with toy money, hoping that their dreams will come true. They might look like children playing house, but they are not. It 's serious business.