The ancient custom of New Year's fisticuffs

• The ancient custom of New Year's fisticuffs

Photographer Lele Savery (Lele Saveri) visited the Peruvian Andes, where he studied the ancient custom of New Year's fisticuffs called Takanakui.

Takanakui - Peruvian tradition that emerged in the province of Chumbivilcas Province in the pre-colonial, and possibly in doinkovskie times. In December, the locals dancing in the streets week national dances to folk music and drinking alcohol. The culmination of the festival are fights, which take place on December 25 in the capital of the province of Santo Tomas, and the next day - in the village of Yike high in the mountains. The word "takanakui" translated from Quechua language means "when the blood is boiling."

On the morning of December 26 Yike residents gather at a local church. There, they breakfast and dance, and then the process is directed to the center of the city, where stand in a circle, inside of which in turn are fighting pair. In Santo Tomas in the fighting involved men and women of all ages, and in the Yike found the strongest opponents. Compliance with the rules follow the judge with a whip in his hand.

Participants dress up in costumes depicting characters Takanakui. Typically, these are clothes for riding and traditional masks, balaclavas "uyachullu". People dressed in leather jackets and chepsy with stuffed birds or deer skull on his head, called Karauatanna. Other characters - Machen (resident Valley Mahes), Negro (slave owner), Langosta (locusts) and Kara Gallo (rooster naked).

In Chumbivilcas Province, a region cut off from the rest of the country, there is little the government: the province can count only a few police officers, and in Santo Tomas is not even the courthouse. And legal disputes, and personal grievances are resolved in the battles on Takanakui. At the end of each fight opponents have embraced. If someone is dissatisfied with the outcome of the fight, you can fight again.