An important agricultural cycle in the northern Ecuadorian Andes is the Pawkar Raymi. “PAWKAR” means blossoming and “RAYMI” festivity, ritual or ceremony.  The Pawkar Raymi is the celebration of the Pacha Mama (mother earth) flowering.
Is time to taste the fruit of the land, reason enough to select the best flowers for the celebration. The Peguche indigenous people strengthen their cultural traditions by reviving old sacred rituals that were practiced at this time of the year.  They also want to share educational, socio-cultural and sport activities.  Everyone is welcome.

The festivities hold two important ceremonies: the “Tumarina” and the “Mushuk Watapak Varayuk”.  The symbolic “Tumarina” consists of women and elders picking flowers and collecting water from the sacred water sprouts and sprinkle these on the patios of their homes.  All the family members, young and old, participate as a game of purification. The women pour the water in each member’s head leaving some flowers on them. This ritual begins with the older members of the families.  The water and the flowers are the basic ingredients for the blessing of the community. The blessing is for strength, creativity and kindness to make the flowering land ripen.
After the “Tumarina” ceremony the most respected person in the community is elected “Mushuk Varayuk” and given a rod as a symbol of power and government. The “Mushuk Varayuk” has the responsibility of organizing the Pawkar Raymi the following year, and must sacrifice his own comfort to set an example or hard work to his people.  The rod is a symbol of work, unity and honesty.

Sports have become an integral part of the Pawkar Raymi festivities:
Soccer “world” championship: people from the community that have emigrated to foreign countries join together and form teams according to the country where they reside.  Many Peguches have moved abroad to sell their weavings and handicrafts.
The idea is to complement modern sports with the ancestral spiritual praxis.
Mountain biking championship: the championship includes categories for all ages and genders. Additionally, biking trips are arranged for the general public.

Text: This is Ecuador, supervision by Cesar Cotacachi.

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