FIESTA DE SANTA ROSA DE LIMA

A religious festival proclaimed as a national holiday, the Fiesta de Santa Rosa de Lima celebrates the Criolla saint (the Creole saint), the "first saint of the New World". Each year, 200,000 people make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Santa Rosa, located in the town of Pelequén, 125 kilometers from Santiago. The peaceful village, which has barely 3,000 inhabitants, hosts large celebrations and long processions.