Centuries-old Celebration in the Andes Mountains

In this May 24, 2016 photo, men dressed as “Ukukus”, mythical half-man, half-bear creatures, huddle together to keep warm, as they take a break from their spiritual trek to the top of the Qullqip'unqu mountain, as part of the syncretic three-day festival Qoyllur Rit’i, translated from the Quechua language as Snow Star, in the Sinakara Valley, in Peru's Cusco region. On the last night of the festival, the ukukus climb more than 4,500 meters in freezing temperatures to the mountain’s glacier, carry crosses up the slope to spend the night at the top. They later descend with their crosses as the first rays of the morning sun spread across the mountain range and are met by reception groups of women and children. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)
Centuries-old Celebration in the Andes Mountains
   
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