Diario las Américas Newspaper, February 7, 1954, Page 22

aaltill atin American By Francisco J. Hernandez. Indians celebrating the Fiesta de Amancaes, Lima, Pert The number of travelers inter- ested in the Indian lore typical of many Latin American countries is circulated in the United States regarding the fiestas, fairs, and many indigenous or hybrid cere- monies which are to be found off the beaten track, in the heart of the countries to the south. This {nterest attaches particularly te the old customs which bring to- gether sometimes many thou- sands of rural dwellers in order to celebrate a religious ceremony, the gathering of a new harvest, or some other outstanding event. Throughout Latin America all the familiar religious and natio- mal holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, New Year’s, Carnival, Pan American Day (April 14), Colum- bus Day (Dia de la Raza), etc., are observed, and so it is in Peru. With its lofty mountains and val- leys high int he Andes, it is es- pecially rich in festivals which re- tain most of the original pictur- esquesness and color. Yet one does not have to stray far away from the large centers near the coast to find some of the gayest celebrations, which attract large erowds from both city and count- ry. b ¥ An indian val in e little Andean town. THE FIESTA DE AMANCAES The city of Lima, for instance, relishes the popular festival held every Saint John’s Day (June 24) on the Pampa de Amancaes, a broad plain on the outskirts of the city, named for the yellow flowers to be found there at that particular time. In colonial days the Fiesta de Amancaes was one of the most colorful celebrations of the year in a country fond of festivals. “Everyone prepared for it long in advance,” writes a well- known Folkorist, and on the great day people took to the road arrayed in their best clothes, on foot, in carriages, or on horse- back. At the Pampa, to the sound of the guitar, harp, and a box beaten with both hands, couples went through the lively steps of the marinera, sometimes called the zamacueca: a man and girl dancing opposite each other, each with a handkerchief in an up raised hand, waving it gracefully in time with the music. The mu- sicians sang many verses, some of them improvised. “Today, however, people go more prosaically in automobiles and other modern conveyances, and the spectators sit in grand- pt Shee SBS Bt ER A HEMISFERIO FIESTAS stands, watching the Indians who, dressed in picturesque bright- colored costumes, come from all over the country to dance their folk-dance and play their plaint- ive music on the native flute, harp, or Pan’s pipes.” This traditional festival of Amancaes was several years ago proclaimed officially by the Peru- vian Government the “Day of the Indian.” To the traveler it affords an unusual opportunity to see many native customs which other- wise he could observe only after long and hazardous journeys into the interior. As a traditional phase of the festival women sell typical Peruvian dishes in small stands erected along the road to the Pampa and around it. FEAST OF THE INVENTION OF THE CROSS Writing from Cuzco, the an- cient capital of the Incas in the Peruvian highlands, J. Uriel Gar- cia has described one of the festi- vals of mixed Indians and Christ- jan origin. His description may be summarized as follows: dance of Copacabana, Bolivia, ‘The main festival s of the year in honor of the Virgin of Copacabana take place en Feb. 2 and Aug. 5. The feast of the Invention of the Cross (May 3) is one of the occasions celebrated throughout the Peruvian Andes, It has re- placed the Inca ceremonies called Aymuray or Ayllihuay, which meant “harvest month,” for as Peru lies south of the equator, the seasons there are the feverse of ours. AYmuray was a nocturn- al festival, a ceremony in honor of winter nights, of the life-giving forces sent to earth from the starry skies to make the soil fertile. After the cross had become the prevailing religious symbol, it ap- pearede verywhere, on the top of lofty peaks, at crossroads, in sim- ple village squares, in patios and vestibules, until now it has be- come the guardian of the home. These crosses are of all kinds, from elaborate processional cros- ses, which are the pride of parish churches, to simple ones woven of straw, which stand on the thatched roofs of humble dwell- ings. When the annual festival comes around, all these crosses are taken from their stands and carried in procession to the near- est church, where a mass is said for them. Festivals <2 IN PERU O—— But while the Christian symbol has replaced the pagan, many of the old native customs still per- sist, in only slightly altered form, The eve of the Invention of the Cross, called in a mixture of the Indian and Spanish languages, cruzvelacuy, is a* holiday night, of general and carefree gaiety. All the mountains and highways where there are crosses are alight with bonfires. In the towns and villages, in squares, patios, and vestibules, are improvised altars. A canvas awning or other protec- tion marks the altar, around which the celebration centers. In the back-ground stands the cross, covered with many-colored orna- ments and floral offerings, bright with hundreds of electric bulbs or votive candles. A tone side are great round jugs of chicha, to make the occasion livelier; bottles of liquor; a great tin kettle which, thanks to an ingenious contriv- ance, begins to whistle when the water boils. The water is for “whistling tea” —maté or some other beverage pleasing to native | A palates. On benches and seats of adobe sit the town matrons, elder- ly women with their many felt skirts, and maidens walting for their sweethearts. Indian servants stand near by, the women with children in their arms, the men in their inevitable ponchos. By the roadside, with the frosty winter night as a background, is the Indian merrymaking, simple, ingenous, to the sound of guitar and flute. In the patio, the mes- tizos are gay, with violinand harp. In the aristocratic mansion, at the top of the scale, the party listens to guitars and melodeons. But everywhere the improvised Andine altar is the background to the feast. THE MARKET AT HUANCAYO A typical market is that which takes place every Sunday on the Calle Real of Huancayo, in cen- tral Peru, now reached by high- way as well as railway over the Andes from Lima. It dates from very early times; Indian fairs were integrated in the life of the colony. To enable the country- folk to hold their fair on Sun- days, all shops and public institu tions close their doors on Thurs- days, and remain open on Sun- DOMINGO 1 DE FEBRERO DE 1954, }