Two days before the arrival of 2022, a group of Peruvian shamans performed rituals on a hilltop outside Lima to make their annual predictions and wish good fortune for the coming year.
One shaman predicted the coronavirus is here to stay among us albeit in a mild form before it “disappears”.
“The coronavirus will stay among us, as a part of the family. It will be something milder but it will live among us, and little by little it will disappear,” said shaman Walter Alarcón.
Another foretold economic hardships. “That is why we are asking for our wellbeing, for the situation to improve,” added Ana Maria Simeon.
Not afraid of tackling big topics, the shamans also made other predictions, including some on the tension at the border between Russia and Ukraine. They hope it will be eased thanks to their rituals.
“Russia, they want to invade territory in Ukraine but it will not happen. That’s why us shamans are here so there is no war, no physical aggression,” said shaman Félix Roldán.
The shamans performed rituals with photographs of politicians like US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, while healers used flower petals and blew on a bull’s horn during their spiritual practices.
Will they be right or not? The answer will come in the upcoming months.