In Peru, as in most of the Spanish countries, faith and in particular the Catholic religion are a large part of the daily lives of the people.  August 30th is the great feast of Saint Rose of Lima.  In Peru, this day is a national holiday; there is no school, the government and public services close, and the nation observes the day with grand fiestas!  The Sisters attended a beautiful mass at St. Rose Parish here in Callao.  What a celebration!  It continued after mass with a procession through the streets with men carrying the statue of St. Rose who was atop a throne of silver!  An honor bestowed only on the president of Peru, Santa Rosa, and San Martin is the wearing of the red, white, and blue sash as seen in the photo.  Another custom of the people is the creation of an image made entirely of sand and flowers.  This image of Santa Rose was created on the street in front of the church where the celebration continued with food, drink, music, and dancing.  I look forward to the feast of the Lord of the Miracles which I'm told is an even bigger fiesta held in Lima.  And of course I couldn't not take a picture of the dog, all are welcome to the church in Callao!