Carnival of Comparsas

The carnival is an annual event full of color, rhythm and joy. All parts of Peru present a particular way of celebrating it, in the case of Puerto Maldonado, Carnival becomes a good reason to revalue the customs of the Peruvian Amazon.

The carnivals present a movable date from the first days of February until the end of March and every year they present a new theme, for example since the carnival of 2011 this took the name of Mombiré Ayanda which are words in the native language that means Dance Together and that is precisely what carnival is about and since then every year has a new theme to revalue.

Among the activities of the carnival are the tours or parades of comparsas and floats in what is intended to manifest jungle motifs regarding the design and decoration of their vehicles. In the course that is also programmed the music and native dances are of greater importance the revaluation of the traditional jungle that is made in Puerto Maldonado capital of the Madre de Dios region.

In these dates the election of the lady of the jungle carnival is also scheduled. There are other contests that are held for carnivals, among them: The carnival contest of typical dances, in addition to the Contest of stick taught or of Lights, Contest of Widows (the plañideras that interpret to the debtors of the deceased king Momo, spirit of the carnival) .

On the final day of the Carnival is presents the celebration of what is known as the Tomb of the Ushna or Yunsada which is something like what is known as yunza in other parts of Peru. In the same way this day the farewell of King Momo is performed as a symbol of the end of Carnival.

Auditions or television or press conferences, although they seem unusual at this time, are also present, especially in the days leading up to the Carnival, this in order to disseminate and make known to visitors, or future visitors, the programming of Carnival activities to come, in addition to the theme of celebration.

Carnival usually begins its activities in the Plaza de Armas of Puerto Maldonado and has the participation of the authorities of the region and the comparsas of the city, in this way the traditional party begins.

In the last years the carnivals also take the name of ‘Mombire Ayanda’, arakbut word that means ‘Let’s dance together’ and that seeks to strengthen the identity of the jungle region of Madre de Dios.

The entity that is responsible for carrying out the Carnival is the Regional Government of Madre de Dios whose objective is to rescue traditional customs of Puerto Maldonado and transmit them to new generations.

The Plaza de armas of Puerto Maldonado and the leisure centers, such as the traditional Manguare and the Buraco are the meeting points of the population where the good atmosphere is combined with music from the jungle and the Brazilian samba.

Every year in the carnival the comparsas stand out, with picturesque names such as: The gypsies, the corsairs enter others, who celebrate their 40th birthday by participating in the carnival.

Normally in a weekend more than 5 thousand people go to the main points where the carnival is celebrated, being the oldest the Manguare.