Peru

Nick

Peru is a spanish speaking country located in South America, south of Ecuador and north of Chile. It is officially named the Republic of Peru. The republic is divided into twenty-five different regions that vary from the plains near the Pacific ocean, and the Andes Mountains. There is an estimated 29.5 million multi-ethnic people that live in Peru. This includes Americans, Europeans, Africans, and Asians.
 * __Intro__**

In Peru, Santa Clause was banned by the Peruvian government because he is a symbol of western capitalism and greed. Instead of celebrating on the 25th, Peruvians open gifts and feast on the night of the 24th. This is called, "Noche Buena," meaning good night. At midnight adults raise their glasses of champagne (children raise hot chocolate) and watch fireworks. When giving gifts, the two people hug, kiss cheeks, say gracias, and then open the gifts. In the Andean regions, Christmas is celebrated on January 6th after the celebration of the arrival of the three wise men. Traditional meals include turkey, salad, applesauce, and a sweet bread called Panettone. Hot chocolate is made from scratch with dark chocolate, cinnamon, and cloves. A distinct part of a Peruvian Christmas, chocolatadas are groups that give hot chocolate and food to less wealthy people during Christmas. This is a simple way Peruvians try to spread Christmas cheer throughout their community. These chocolatadas are commonly organized by shops, churches, or businesses. They often give bread sticks or biscochos, sweets, and toys with the hot chocolate. A biscocho is a piece of sweet bread with dried fruit inside. Then adults and children can perform Christmas skits, sing songs and play games. Then all of the children can visit, "Papa Noel," to recieve a toy and tell him their wishes. The real gift of this program is not only the smiles of the children, but the feeling the parents get seeing their children having a good time.
 * __The Celebration__**
 * __Chocolatadas__**

media type="youtube" key="3XrcBYs9WDg" height="315" width="560" -Carty, Sue Lynn. "Christmas Traditions in Peru." //Christmas Crafts | Christmas Carols | Christmas Traditions and More...// Web. 14 -Dec. 2011. []. -Photograph. //Google Images//. Web. []. -"Peru." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. []. -"Christmas Chocolatadas - Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists." //Off the Beaten Track in Peru - Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists//. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. []. -Photograph. Web. []. -"Sumaq Design Chocolatada Maras 2010, Video 4.mp4 - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 14 Dec. 2011. []. -//La Chocolatada//. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. .
 * __Citations__**