Finally, the Ñawpa Mikhuna

It's the end of December, but it doesn't really feel like the Holidays. But I feel like their's plenty of celebrating life with family and acknowledgment of the sacred without Santa Claus and gaudy decorations. But still, Christmas just isn't the same away from family and church.
A while ago, I got to help with a big festival in Huayk'ampara, a community near Aramasi.
Here are some photos from Huayk'amapra. I'm sorry that I can't figure out how to post the photos more orderly. The blog format changes when I post and get's all mixed up. So bear with me, please.
The first one is of the fire for the burnt offering or "mesa" for the K'oa, asking the blessing of the Pachamama. This was performed at the church, there's another pic from this K'oa on the previous blog about the Ñawpa Mikhuna.
The morning of the feria, the men went out into the river bed, also used as a road most of the visitors would be arriving on, to put up the welcome banner.

Oh, look, there's a Preview button. That should help.


These handsome gentlemen are the Huayk'ampara band play/posing for their first ever group portrait. They were in rare form this day.
These young men are dressed to dance their traditional dance, the 'chacarera' I believe.
Below are the 'Sabrocitas' with Juvenal, our project administrator. He requested this photo.














This is the feria from above right as everyone was arriving and the 'Sabrocitas' were warming up the stage.

And these are the 'Tinkus Lygas', a siki-patasan (ass-kickin') college dance group. Excuse my Quechua.







The Huayk'ampara dance crew.










The Fresia-Lindas (The Pretty Strawberries, it sounds much better in Quechuafied Spanish) rocking the audience with their original cumbia and lots of flashy, energetic dancing. They are sisters and daughters of Huayk'ampara's leader.

The effect of the FresiaLindas on the crowd-














Some young Huayk'amparians ready for the chacarera with the Tinkus Laygas waiting in the background.

Well, there's a little gallery of the 1st Feria Ancestral de la Ñawpa Mikhuna in Huayk'ampara, Tapacari.