Takanakuy: The Beefcake Festival of the Andes

None of my Spanish teachers or textbooks ever mentioned Takanakuy, the beefcake festival held every Christmas Day in the Quechua-speaking villages of Peru.

On Christmas morning, everyone in the village goes to Mass to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.  Then, they gather in the town square.  Some wear leather jackets and colorful ski masks with dead birds on their heads to show how dangerous they are.  Some are shirtless, their muscles spectacle enough.

Then they pair off for Takanakuy (Quechua for beating each other up).




Kicking and punching are allowed, but no biting and no weapons.  You can grab and squeeze all you want, and rip your opponent out of his clothes.

The fights are used to settle any disputes that have arisen during the year, but more often they are displays of machismo, village men deciding who is toughest. But at the end of the fight, the participants have to hug.

Outsiders are welcome to participate.

It's a celebration of not only machismo but muscle, a spectacle of male bodies.

Recently the festival has spread into the urban areas of Cuzco and Lima, to the consternation of Peruvian officials trying to outlaw it.

It's a losing battle.  Andeans have many festivals that involve demonstrations of beefcake and machismo.











The Aymara of Bolivia have a Tinku fesival.

Warachikuy, a festival of athletic competitions between young men, includes fighting.

Ch'iyar Jaqhi and Tupay Tuqtu are ritual battles fought by the entire village.

See also: The Penis Festival of Easter Island.