Tumarina: Water and Flowers as Symbols
of Life & Tradition
Unable to sleep, at 5 a.m., I decided to go for a walk. The typical
pre-morning Andean cold chilled my bones as I strolled through the
deserted, mist-enveloped streets. I sat on a bench, deep in thought
and watched the sun rise over this sleepy village.
At 6, the town of Peguche slowly started waking
up. I saw a few women leaving their homes and heading to a destination
that remained a mystery to me. After waking the rest of my mates,
we decided to follow the women. We came to the church of Peguche and
found that the doors were open.
Evidence of the modern Western world can be found
everywhere. Peguche is no exception. The commercial overtones of the
fiesta could be appreciated in many of its events. Witnessing the
giant Coca Cola signs that adorned the stadium was proof enough. Yet
this morning, far from the consumerism that plagues humanity and at
the heart of this community, we were privy to a symbolic ceremony
of ancient heritage, the ritual of Tumarina.
The Tumarina ritual is still practiced
by the elderly women of the community. It begins with the collection
of wild flowers. These flowers are later placed in water collected
from local streams. Finally, the combination of flowers and water,
saved in modern plastic buckets, are used to wet the heads of friends
and family in an act of "baptism." The ritual celebrates
and is symbolic of the life-giving forces inherent in the neighboring
fields.
Within the chapel, Peguche's elderly women, dressed
in their turqouise and magneta shawls, were waiting to bless the water
and flowers held in their many colored buckets.
The orations, the religious fervor and the heavy
smell of incense were all present in the mass. The parish priest emerged
and blessed the small buckets. After making the sign of the cross,
he took some water from the buckets and sprayed it over all our heads.
A Christian baptism, perhaps, but with indigenous water and overtones.
Related Articles: 
