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Festivals

Peru's Guinea Pig Festival Doesn't End Well

July 23, 2008 at 3:20 PM | 1 Comment

The seaside town of Huacho, Peru just hosted what could be the world's cutest contest--if it weren't for how it ended. It was the Huacho Guinea Pig Festival.

Things got started when some of the small rodents got dressed up for the animal fashion show, where this year's big looks were miner and king. But the winning guinea pig was done up as a traditional folk singer; it won thanks not just to a great outfit but its name: Yasmina del Amor.

But those rodents not on the proverbial runway suffered a more brutal fate: They were fried, roasted and baked and enjoyed by festival goers as part of a cook-off. Who won? The pachamanca masters out of the nearby village of Curay.

Related Stories:
· Huacho Guinea Pig Festival [Huacho.info, in Spanish]
· Guinea Pigs Dress up for Dinner [Sky News]
· Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Original photo: Telegraph]