BY MIKE MCKENNA
As the legend goes, a slave painted a picture of “Cristo Moreno,” also known as “Brown Christ” or “El Nazareno,” on an adobe wall in the heart of Lima, Peru, several centuries ago.
A massive earthquake in 1655 left the city in ruins but, miraculously, the painting survived. Numerous other earthquakes would ravage the Lima area over the years, but the painting of “El Señor de Los Milagros” always endured.
The celebration for the “the man of miracles” is an important part of Peruvian culture. Each October, Peruvians and Christian believers all over the world celebrate “Purple Month.” The official color for El Señor de Los Milagros is purple in honor of the nuns who are entrusted with the custody of the original painting of El Nazareno.
Festivities include parading the visage to important places, with both men and women taking turns carrying it. There are moments of prayer and, of course, there’s plenty of good food, including a special candy created by a woman known as Doña Pepa. After visiting the painting of Christo Moreno, Doña Pepa was healed of a debilitating affliction and that night she dreamt up the ingredients for the special nugget candy; Turrón de Doña Pepa has been a staple of Purple Month ever since.
While replica paintings can be found at celebrations all over the globe, from South America to Asia, to Europe and many spots in the U.S., Idaho currently does not have one. For several years, starting in 2013, an El Señor de Los Milagros was brought up from Utah and paraded and displayed in Ketchum and Hailey. But that one is no longer available, so a local group is working on acquiring a permanent one for Hailey.
Elvis Laureano is member of the dozen or so folks trying to make it happen.
“Coming from Peru, or wherever people come from, we all bring a part of our culture with us,” Elvis said. “We want to become part of Hailey’s culture and share it with others.”
Elvis was born in Peru and moved to Hailey in 1996 when he was in high school. His dad had spent several years prior coming up to work at the Flat Top Sheep Ranch. Now a successful insurance agent, husband and proud father, Elvis is happy to see so many Peruvians become active members of the local community.
That’s why bringing a permanent El Señor de Los Milagros to the Wood River Valley would be a pretty big deal.
“It would show the community that we have the faith and the commitment and it would allow us to welcome people to come and be part of the celebration,” Mirella Marroquin, of the ad hoc committee, said.
The estimated cost for the painting, which would be made in Peru, is estimated to be between $10,000–$15,000. The group is meeting to discuss ways of making it happen. It will take place at St. Charles Catholic Church in Hailey on Wednesday, November 19 at 8 p.m. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to come.
For questions or more information, call Elvis at 208-309-0208 or Mirella at 208-721-8964.
