parades

from the Lonely Planet postcard section:

We've just got back from Peru... one additional thing which you might like to include is the Sunday parade. When we were in Cusco, although it apparently happens in all major towns/cities every Sunday, there was a big parade organized by the Army. It includes a flag raising ceremony, a military band, the national anthem and lots of local groups marching past, although on this occasion there didn't appear to be any church involvement. The police and army head the whole thing, but when we saw it it also included local schools, communities and businesses. Particularly memorable was the El Zorro delivery firm whose march past included a masked man on a black horse and all the employees dressed in black. The whole thing started at 10am and finished around 11:30. Apparently it started a couple of years ago at the instigation of the government to try and increase nationalism among the populace!
Neil Watson, (May 02)