Current Event #2

Warachicuy

The Warachicuy, a traditional ceremony in which the Inca Empire would hold when it was necessary to go to war. The ceremony was considered a very sacred procedure and held only when there was a battle. Now it is held annually on the third sunday of September (this year it was on the 17) where 1,500 musicians, dancers and artists show the music and folklore of the traditional Warachicuy. Through out the ceremony people sell traditional food and drink of the Inca era. The most traditional part of the ceremony is when one thousand warriors charge forward trying to gain control of a large fortress. This is the sign that the Warachicuy has begun. The ceremony goes in three steps, the Ritual stage, the competitive stage, and the festive or war dance stage. After completing the series of tests the man would receive gift. These tests were a series of athletic tests and many battles or competitions. The prize in the traditional Warachicuy was a Wara, also called a breechcloth. The breechcloth is a symbol that says the man can now marry and is officially part of the Inca army, as well as an Inca citizenship. But the main goal behind Warachicuy is that the men show that they will serve the Inca Empire well and that they are capable of being powerful warriors.