A group of Peruvian shamans gathered on a beach in southern Lima on Monday (December 29) to perform their annual New Year ritual, delivering predictions for 2026 that included the fall of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and a serious illness for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Dressed in colourful traditional ceremonial attire, a dozen shamans and healers assembled at Agua Dulce beach in the Chorrillos district to conduct rituals at the water's edge.

They constructed an altar adorned with photographs of world leaders, including Trump, Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, surrounded by flowers, coca leaves, skulls, and burning incense.

"In 2026, we see Mr. Nicolas Maduro defeated," proclaimed shaman Juan de Dios Garcia.

The shamans waved flowers at President Trump's poster and predicted that the leader would become "seriously ill" in 2026. 

On a more optimistic note, Garcia predicted an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "I see this conflict will end, it will finish, they will raise the flag of peace," he said as shamans waved flowers over Putin's photograph.

The ceremony, performed annually at the end of December, also included domestic political forecasts. García predicted that opposition leader Keiko Fujimori "will be the president in 2026."

Production: Videosur, Liamar Ramos/Reuters