A procession for Saint Mary around the Plaza de Armas (www.britannica.com/eb/topic-35092/Plaza-de-Armas) in Ayacucho, Peru, (lat -13.1548°, long -74.2044°, Altitude: 9,202 Feet - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PE/5/Ayacucho.html), Wednesday night, May 14, 2008. There are many processions for various saints in the city of Ayacucho, peaking with the holy week of Semana Santa in May (overly dramatic promotional video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pwdhC_xu-w). This procession began at the Cathedral and wound around the Plaza de Armas with stops at each corner for the ceremonial ?lighting of the bottle rocket,? and one big tower of fireworks and sparks that rained down on the crowd. Saint Mary herself was lit with a high-wattage electric light powered by a gas generator being carted behind her; it?s electrical cord snaked through the crowd. The path for St. May was lined with candle-holding children from the main catholic school in Ayacucho. Some of the children had to move out of formation when the ?glowing halo of fire? that launched from the ceremonious tower of fireworks came streaming back down to earth, narrowly missing them and the 17th century building that encompass the plaza.
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