Gifts are given to mothers on Mother's Day and fathers on Father's Day. Christmas is an important holiday in which gifts are given. Raul tells me that the children in Peru go to bed very early on Christmas Eve and when they wake up their presents are lying next to their beds. The children come to expect that Santa Claus enters their bedrooms and leaves them their presents at their side.
Major festivals that are recognized in their country are: July 28th - - Independence Day that is the day in 1821 that they received their independence from Spain. On that day there is a large parade with military bands and marching bands, almost like our Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Also, on the 24th of June in the city of Cuzco they celebrate what is known as Intiraymi - - that is a festival where they give thanks. They give thanks to the sun because the sun has great power which helps them grow food.
While Raul did not know to what extent the festivals impacted the economy of the culture; however, he surmised that while not much is gain monetarily from these festivals the impact that bringing the people of their country together for a cause would certainly impact their economy in other ways. One cannot discount the local fiestas that are held to celebrate important saints. An example, Intiraymi Festival that is held in Cuzco because our book (Cultural Anthropology at page 137) discusses what is known as the fiesta complex. This is "a mechanism that tends to equalize income" because much money is spent and contributed. In fact it has been suggested that fiestas are a way of distributing the wealth of the community to those less fortunate