Following Tuesday’s column in which I talked about Nadal’s uncle, a Peruvian reader who lives in Catalonia lets me know that this custom of nailing clubs to a piece of wood seems a bit silly to him. He explains to me that, in certain areas of his country, the custom, on Christmas Day, is for the citizens to fight each other, punching and kicking, in a kind of wrestling in which men and women participate , adults and children. It’s called takanakuy.
I’m looking for information about this custom that I didn’t know about and, needless to say, the best place I can find it is on Wikipedia. Takanakuy is a Quechua word that means “hitting each other”. We are on the right track. It is celebrated mainly in the province of Chumbivilcas. Members of the same family or the same community participate; a town, for example. The purpose is to “resolve conflicts with an individual, friend, family member, or resolve territorial conflicts that have arisen during the year”. Fighters challenge opponents by calling them by name and surname. The challenger may not accept the challenge or propose that a friend fight on their behalf. It is only forbidden to bite, pull hair or kick those who are already on the ground. The dispute is concluded by KO or by decision of the referee. There is more than one: the principal and the assistants, who carry whips to keep the spectators at bay.
Before the fights, the participants have breakfast in the church and drink alcohol to get in tune. After the fights they also gather and drink, but now so as not to notice so much the pain caused by the blows received.
With as many foreign customs as we care, you will not deny that it is a much more attractive celebration than chopping a tree stump with a stick. (We want to host!) The fact that it is precisely celebrated on Christmas Day is, moreover, ideal for brightening the endless dinner tables with the in-laws.
