Friday, March 5, 2010

Candelaria, Yunsa y Wititi

22 febrero: Steve


February is a month of fiestas in Chivay. It begins with the celebrations of the Virgin de la Candelaria, with her image and pedestal carried about town and poles of fruits and vegetables on the flanks hoisted by some brave men. The poles are 15 to 20 feet long and well decorated with the wealth of pacha mama---clearly heavy! It seemed to be a Catholic holiday mostly, but with clear indigenous overtones. That night there was the processions of the pacha mama poles with band and dancing. The virgin was nowhere in sight.

As the month progressed the energy of "tiempo de fiesta" increased little by little with globos (water balloons), white spray, and colorful powder. A couple of weeks ago girls were targeted by boys and then the girls organized to retaliate. These were the opening salvos of "carnival" that culminated this past weekend with the Festival of Yunsa and the nights of dancing the Wititi and a neighborhood competition that is sponsored by the town with cash prizes.


Yunsa features dancing, music and the cutting down of a eucalyptus trees that are festooned with prizes. These celebrations took place three different nights, Saturday, 13th of February, this past Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th.

The Yunsa celebration has various parts:1) men go out and cut down the eucalyptus and bring it into town. Folks, mostly men, "plant" the tree in the holes in the cement. But, before placing it in the hole place offering of coca, potato, herbs, alcohol, etc., in the bottom of the hole. Some groups decorate the tree with balloons and prizes before it goes up, while others put the prizes on after the tree is raised. 3) The tree is again cut down but in a much more festive manner. Shots of liquor, mostly cerveza, are handed around while people, mostly women, hold hands or a garland while dancing around the tree. Meanwhile, a group of musicians, drummers and quena (recorder-type flute) players, play and drink to the side of the festivities. Next to the tree were five or six cases of beer, large bottles that is, and two "facilitators" who handed out the shot glass—perhaps a two ounce glass—and the axe to each person taking their turn. They would take three swings usually, then another shot and pass the axe on. The tree had a six to eight inch diameter and it took two to four hours for it to be chopped down. The eucalyptus tree with its goods is a variation on a piƱata, although there is no candy. It had blankets, plastic basins, kitchen supplies, clothing, table cloths, jackets, scarves, indigenous cloth, etc.

The different nights of this festival have variations; the first night seemed to be the total community, with a band on a stage, which played rock music after the tree was cut down. The other two nights were organized by neighborhood, where each neighborhood would take a corner of the plaza principal. One corner had one tree, another two or three. A bit of friendly competition. In fact, at least on one occasion, when one neighborhood finished cutting down their tree they paraded it around the plaza, crimping the ongoing party of another group—at least, when they were passing through.

The first of the two night cycle seemed to be the night dedicated to the solteras (single women) who would sing:

Pichutanca malguero porque cantas tan temprano,

Si yo quiero ver a mi amado.

¡Pucllay! (juga Quechua)
Espejo necesito yo, para ver mi linda cara,

Machete necesito yo, para romper mi arbol.
¡Puclluy!

Yo soy soltera, como una manzana madura

Rough translation:

Pichutanca malguero (a bird) sings very early in the morning

If I want to see my love.

Pucllay! (a Quechua cheer--- is yelled out)

I need a mirror to see my pretty face

I need a machete to cut down my tree

Pucllay! (is yelled out)

I am single, like a ripe apple

There is more to the song, but this is all we got.

They sang this while holding hands and circling the tree. The solteros appeared to be the musicians or other male merrymakers. I don't know if they hand a song.


Anyway, when the eucalyptus was close to coming down the crowd came closer in order to position themselves for their desired prize. Once it fell there was the expected mayhem for a minute, then the glorious smiles of those with their gifts in hand.


So on Thursday I helped with putting up two of the trees for "our" neighborhood. In brief, it was not well organized. And the two or three drunks and the general drinking were not much help. But there was a great deal of cheer and patience.


The first tree was smaller and it wasn't raining yet. Yes it is the rainy season, so most of this merrymaking is accompanied by a good deal of rainfall—at times downpours—but the fiesta continua! What I found odd, besides the general disorganization after years of doing this, was that most of the gifts that would be attached to the tree were not by my group, when the tree was on the ground, whereas another neighborhood did this, saving the effort of one brave soul who climbed the tree to attach things after the "planting."

The second larger tree was more frustrating in the rain, and it embraced gravity quite well, coming down twice off the supports we put under it. Meanwhile, we were getting soaked. Ultimately, a truck was called into action to first attempt pulling it up, which failed when ropes broke, but succeeded in pushing it up and into the hole while breaking a couple of branches in the process.

Danza Wititi festival began Saturday, February 20 with the three barrios parading around the plaza, then dancing on their respective corners till midnight. Young single men dress in the local indigenous ankle-length embroidered skirts, usually worn by women. Their white shirts are overplayed with locally woven textiles rolled and tied diagonally from their shoulders to their waists. Their hats are roundish with three levels, the last with tassels to hide their faces. The origin of this was to disguise themselves from protective fathers who may disapprove of their daughters dancing with young men.


The music is different from Yunsa with a brass section, trumpets and small tubas, taking the place of the quenas. The dancers, mostly women, dance either alone, as couples, or, at times, as triplets. They take several steps then swing around twice to the left, then a couple of more steps before swinging once to the right, then repeat the cycle. They do this either in a small circle of less than ten people or large group of hundreds.

The following day, Sunday, the barrio competition was conducted in front of the town hall, where judges determined who had the best presentation and awarded money to the neighborhoods. It appeared that every neighborhood received some money.

We were invited to march in one of the processions but declined. In doing so, we were able to watch all the presentations, which was much better. After the official processions, the town party ensued and merriment embraced cerveza till ten or eleven at night.

Our hotel owner, Sebastian, says that everyone loves a party but then everyone is broke: "no hay plata."


Apparently, we have been told, the fiestas in December are even bigger.

Photos:


  1. Pacha Mama poles for Virgen de la Candelaria
  2. Pulling on the damn tree (note Steve in green)
  3. Yunsa festival
  4. Mujeres y hombres dancing Wititi

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