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PAWKAR RAYMI:

 

Pawkar Raymi or the flourishing fest marks the initial of a new agrarian year. It is the celebration in time of flowering and reencounter, that takes place on the 21st of March, which is equivalent to vernal equinox, when the sun is at its shortest distance to the equator line. Therefore the month of March is known in Otavalo communities as “Mushuk Nina” – New Fire, because the god of sun Inti came to its closest point to earth to provide its powerful and warm sunrays to the new seed.

 

Procedure of the ritual:

The ritual of the Pawkar Raymi festival is called “Recollection” (in kichwa: tumarina). Just as the name says it consists in the recollection of the first flowers of the new seed of a year and is realized only by the women of the community to offer them to Mother Nature. Therefore it is important that only those who are considered “pure” recollect the flowers of the maize, which excludes women during their menstrual period from the activity, but not from assisting the ritual itself. The flowers are offered during a ceremony that includes other symbols that are

 

 

 

arranged as a cross on the ground.

 

Sociocultural significance:

The Pawkar Raymi not only marks the initial of a new agrarian circle and the time to set up talankiras, little houses to protect the crops from wind and thieves or to recollect the flowers of the maize as foodstuff for their animals and to strengthen the plants for growing and producing maize. When the people of the community finish their preparation and care of the fields and let mother nature take over control over the new seed to grow, Pawkar Raymi is known as an occasion to reencounter family and community members after having spent larger or shorter periods of time in places all over the world as merchants and musicians of the Otavalo trading community, share their experiences and revive the cultural heritage of their ancestors. So in recent days the Pawkar Raymi combines the ritual of recollection with large festivities of music, sports and traditional dancing competitions. In this time of carnival social and cultural events are merged in order to highlight an indigenous identity with an indigenous soccer tournament, the acknowledgement of folkloric artists of Otavalo in other parts of the world and an election of the indigenous beauty queen. The circular migration of young travelling merchants of Otavalo has significant impacts on the organization of the Pawkar Raymi festival on a social, cultural and organizational level (Yapud, Célleri).

The official poster of the Pawkar Raymi festival 2014 of Otavalo shows, how traditional elements and modern design is merged.

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