As recently as last year, the so-called Indigenous
Soccer World Cup was the principle attraction of Pawkar
Raymi. Today, in order to "recuperate the true meaning of
the festival" (words of César Vinueza, part of the Official
Committee of the Paukar Raymi Fiestas), various cultural and educational
events have been added to the celebration.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend all the
many events of the festival which took place over ten days. For example,
we missed the election of the Festival Queen, or Ñusta
Pawkar Raymi, which took place on Saturday, February 21,
2004. But the most transcendent was yet to come....
A Day of Water and a Night of Music and
Dance
The Carnival holiday granted us some free time, during which we returned
to Peguche to continue partaking in the local festivities. Upon our
arrival, we became acutely aware that water was going to be the second
ubiquitous element to be encountered-- with corn being the first.
Similar to other Latin American countries, dousing
people with water has become a popular Carnival tradition. People
throughout Peguche were ready to soak any unsuspecting passerby, and
were armed with buckets, water balloons and water guns. Fortunately,
our photographic gear prevented us from becoming prime targets.
After leaving our semi-soaked backpacks at a friend's
house, we met one of the city's personalities, Señor Luis Pichamba,
director of the musical group Ñanda
Mañachi. A very friendly man, he gave us his impressions
of Pawkar Raymi: "It is a cariño (gentle
caress) towards friends and visitors to play with flowers and little
bit of water. It is a tradition of our fathers. This festival serves
to educate our children so they do not forget our customs ."
Later in the evening, we entered the Peguche school
where the scheduled Festival of Andean Culture was to take
place. The smell of fresh chicha, tender corn on the cob and sweet
liquor invited us to be a part of the party. Despite the fact that
most of the people attending the event were sopping wet, the cold
of the evening hours did not seem to dampen the spirit of the carnavaleros
(those celebrating carnival).
After a prolonged wait, the appearance of musicians
on a large metal stage focused everyone's attention in that direction.
Soon, much needed music began warming the ambiance of the gathering.
The appearance of a group of about 25 indigenous children, ages 6-9,
dressed in traditional garb provided the event an element of tenderness.
These children made up the Grupo de Danza Infantil de Niños
Rumiñahui. With grace and talent they interpreted the
marriage ritual of the indigenous kichwas.
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