Editing Guinea pig (section)

=== Traditional uses in Andean populations ===
Folklore traditions involving guinea pigs are numerous; they are exchanged as gifts, used in customary social and religious ceremonies, and frequently referred to in spoken metaphors.{{sfn|Morales|1995|pages=10–16, 45–74}} They also are used in traditional healing rituals by folk doctors, or ''[[curandero]]s'', who use the animals to diagnose diseases such as [[jaundice]], [[rheumatism]], [[arthritis]], and [[typhus]].{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=96}} They are rubbed against the bodies of the sick and are seen as a supernatural medium.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=78}} Black guinea pigs are considered especially useful for diagnoses.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=87–88}} The animal may be cut open and its entrails examined to determine whether the cure was effective.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=83}} These methods are widely accepted in many parts of the Andes, where Western medicine is unavailable or distrusted.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=75–78}}

Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year. The animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the [[Last Supper]] in the [[Cusco Cathedral|main cathedral in Cusco]] shows [[Christ]] and his disciples dining on guinea pig.<ref name="cbs" /> The animal remains an important aspect of certain religious events in both rural and urban areas of Peru. A religious celebration, known as {{lang|es|jaca tsariy}} ("collecting the cuys"), is a major festival in many villages in the [[Antonio Raymondi Province|Antonio Raimondi]] province of eastern Peru and is celebrated in smaller ceremonies in [[Lima]].{{sfn|Morales|1995|pages=3, 101–112}} It is a [[syncretism|syncretistic]] event, combining elements of [[Catholicism]] and [[pre-Columbian]] religious practices, and revolves around the celebration of local [[patron saint]]s.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=3}} The exact form the {{lang|es|jaca tsariy}} takes differs from town to town; in some localities, a ''sirvinti'' (servant) is appointed to go from door to door, collecting donations of guinea pigs, while in others, guinea pigs may be brought to a communal area to be released in a mock [[bullfighting|bullfight]].{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=3}} Meals such as ''cuy chactado'' are always served as part of these festivities, and the killing and serving of the animal are framed by some communities as a symbolic [[satire]] of local politicians or important figures.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=3}} In the [[Tungurahua Province|Tungurahua]] and [[Cotopaxi Province|Cotopaxi]] provinces of central Ecuador, guinea pigs are employed in the celebrations surrounding the feast of [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]] as part of the ''Ensayo'', which is a community meal, and the ''Octava'', where ''castillos'' (greased poles) are erected with prizes tied to the crossbars, from which several guinea pigs may be hung.{{sfn|Morales|1995|pages=119–126}} The Peruvian town of [[Churin]] has an annual festival that involves dressing guinea pigs in elaborate costumes for competition.<ref>{{cite web |date=2007-07-26 |title=Peruvians Pig-Out |url=http://itn.co.uk/89319c3295386535197a613d28bcf198.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525000157/http://itn.co.uk/89319c3295386535197a613d28bcf198.html |archive-date=2009-05-25 |access-date=2007-07-29 |publisher=[[ITN]]}}</ref> There are also guinea pig festivals held in [[Huancayo]], [[Cusco]], [[Lima]], and [[Huacho]], featuring costumes and guinea pig dishes. Most guinea pig celebrations occur on National Guinea Pig Day (Día Nacional del Cuy) across Peru on the second Friday of October.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 September 2013 |title=Declaran el segundo viernes de octubre será el Día Nacional del Cuy |url=https://rpp.pe/lima/actualidad/declaran-el-segundo-viernes-de-octubre-sera-el-dia-nacional-del-cuy-noticia-632118 |website=RPP}}</ref>