By S.C. Sherman
The Christmas season is upon us. Every family has their traditions: Real tree or fake? Individual towns have traditions. Some put out tons of lights and sparkling wreaths, others not so much. Deep in the Andes Mountains of Peru there is an ancient tradition that deserves to be noted—and possibly adopted.
In the remote Peruvian province of Chumbivilcas, the festival of Takanakuy takes place every Christmas in the capital city San Tomas to clear the air of all the grievances built up over the year. Takanakuy is a weeklong festival of drinking and dancing that culminates with hand-to-hand combat. It’s sort of the opposite of a Hallmark Christmas movie in all the right ways.
Everyone is allowed to fight. Challenge whomever has offended you. Old men, young men, women, and even children may settle a score that has been bothering them all year long. In a region with no government services and virtually no police or court system this is how disputes are settled. Takanakuy is designed to resolve conflicts the old-fashioned way, by wielding brute strength over one’s adversary. Citizens will fight one another over territorial conflicts, land disputes, romantic problems, friendship or family issues, or simply to prove one’s manhood.
The entire region gets involved as they flood the streets of San Tomas. From children to grandparents the festival is a multi-day street party. Traditional food is cooked by street vendors as people partake in this centuries-old tradition that was birthed out of an independent spirit. Today that rebellious spirit is alive and well in modern Chumbivilcans. They descended from the Chaka people known to be a proud indigenous group who resisted Spanish rule in the 1500’s and the Incas before that.
The modern government in Lima looks down upon the savagery of Takanakuy and believes the practice to be barbaric. However, much like their ancestors, the Chumbivilcans have no plans to submit to the will of a distant government and the tradition of Takanakuy continues. Outsiders are allowed to join in if you can get yourself high into the Andes for a Christmas you’ll never forget. Once you arrive in Peru, getting to San Tomas is an eight-hour bus or car ride that is not for the faint of heart with stunning vistas and sheer cliffs on a road built more for goat traffic than vehicles.
You will find the streets of San Tomas full of people dressed in a variety of themed costumes while music fills the air. The costumes are made up of colorful Peruvian face masks designed to hide one’s identity. Hats are adorned with birds and deer skulls in hopes of striking fear in their enemies. Lobster or locust themes and even some yellow raincoats appear while cowboy clothing and biker leathers are common as well. The streets pulse with a redneck Mardi Gras sort of vibe as beer and liquor flow freely, ensuring the combatants are in the right frame of mind come fight time.
The entire tradition is built upon the Chumbivilcans’ strong beliefs in freedom. They dance to music called Hualylia, laden with themes of independence and confrontation handed down for generations. The music sounds like something out of a Peking restaurant rather than a province in the Andes, and seemingly plays on a loop over the entire town. The combined effect of nonstop drinking, rhythmic dancing, and constant music is intended to psychologically affect the state of mind and prepare fighters for combat.
When it’s time to get down to business, fighters enter a circle created by cheering onlookers. Fighting is not entirely a free-for-all. There are rules. A referee with a whip in his hand makes sure there is no biting, no hair-pulling, and no beating on an opponent who is down. Other than that, everything is on the table—fists of fury, kicking, slapping, pile-drivers, or however you’d like to best your foe. The fight ends when one person is knocked out, quits, or the ref intervenes. Opponents are required to begin the fight with a hug and end the fight with a hug—followed by lots more drinking. Residents describe the tradition as a way to solve problems and start the new year in peace.
This Christmas, while you’re sipping eggnog, eating prime rib, and opening a sweater you never wanted from your brother-in-law, think of the Chumbivilcans thousands of miles away settling their disputes with dancing, booze, and their fists. Then take your brother-in-law outside and do what needs to be done to feel peace.
Lead image credit: Mídia Ninja
