• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Culture and Traditions Worldwide, Free Time Options Peru

Fireworks on Christmas: A Crazy Peruvian Custom

Fireworks on Christmas

Daniel Salazar, Peru Country Manager, writes about “three crazy things Peruvians do to celebrate Christmas.” This is #3: Fireworks on Christmas.

#3 Fireworks on Christmas:

Everyone loves fireworks – except for dogs. You might have nice memories of fireworks on 4th of July or on your trip to Disney. That is nice, but Peruvians take fireworks to another level on Christmas Eve. Seriously. No matter how many times or how I describe Christmas Eve to volunteers, every time they are shocked when they see it for themselves.

See, on 4th of July or at Disney, fireworks are carefully prepared and controlled. In Peru they aren’t. In December, markets and streets turn into fireworks shops. Everyone goes crazy buying fireworks, especially children and teenagers. When I was little, I would save whatever money I could get to be able to buy a few. Since in practice you don’t need a license to light them, everyone does it.

On Christmas Day, you can hear fireworks during the day, slowly increasing as the day progresses and growing even louder as you get into the night. The traditions is to have Christmas dinner at around 11 p.m. with the loved ones, and when the clock turns 12:00 greet everyone. The idea is to light the fireworks exactly at midnight, but since clocks are not synchronized, the madness begins at around 10 to midnight. Imagine 10 million people lighting all sorts of fireworks at the same time! That is exactly what happens in Lima and all cities and villages in Peru. And it goes on for about an hour.

But not everything is beautiful with fireworks. The fireworks madness in Peru turned into tragedy during holiday season 2004.  A firework chain reaction at the largest market in the country trapped and burnt about 400 people. Because of that, now exploding fireworks are banned in Peru.

Although there are less exploding fireworks now, and for a good reason, there are still many kinds of safer fireworks available. Peruvians have started to be more careful with fireworks, and since 2004 there have not been any major issues. So now families can gladly and safely enjoy fireworks on Christmas Eve. It’s just a beautiful experience you don’t want to miss.

Read on for two more Peruvian Christmas customs:  Eating Panettone and Drinking Hot Chocolate.

OK. I tried. But again, I can’t really describe how awesome the experience is. So here’s a video of fireworks on Christmas Eve in Lima (I recommend watching till the end with the volume as high as you can for a more realistic effect):

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
December 15, 2016/0 Comments/by Daniel Salazar
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Fireworks-Lima-Perú.jpg 999 1500 Daniel Salazar https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Daniel Salazar2016-12-15 12:36:452018-05-18 20:21:01Fireworks on Christmas: A Crazy Peruvian Custom
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 44
  • Cuba 117
  • Ecuador 88
  • Greece 68
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 16
  • Peru 98
  • Poland 77
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 143
  • Vietnam 43
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Global Volunteers’ Staff Train Together in Minnesota Global Volunteers’ training Panettone on Christmas Peruvians “Go Crazy” on Panettone During Holiday Season
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.