CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



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fighting (of which no further details were 

 learned). Some women appeared every year. 

 They wore dresses of red bayeta, a white ker- 

 chief on the head, and a felt hat. Two ker- 

 chiefs were crossed on the body (breast?) and 

 another was used to tease the bull. A machete 

 was carried on the shoulder. 



On these occasions the image of the Virgin 

 of the hospital was taken out and handfuls of 

 tiny confections, of the size of silantro seeds, 

 were scattered. The boys and girls broke many 

 eggshells filled with confetti. The boys struck 

 the girls with sugarcanes when possible and 

 the girls retaliated with capatas wrapped in 

 napkins. 



On Ash Wednesday the cargueros assembled 

 in the houses of the vaquero and karacakape. 

 Piles of oranges, limes, ashes, and earth were 

 placed in the yards, and men and women fought. 

 The oranges and limes were blackened with 

 charcoal and thrown, as were ashes and earth. 

 When the game became violent, a woman 

 struck a shake with a stick and called "peace, 

 peace." The game then stopped. 



The passion of Christ was once repi-esented. 

 On Thursday of Holy Week, the imprisonment 

 of Christ was represented, many youths dress- 

 ing as Jews and soldiers. Friday the image 

 was taken in procession, decorated with laurel, 

 roses, bananas, capatas, and flour tamales. 



Normally processions were held three times 

 a year, Holy Thursday, the Friday of Sorrows, 

 and Corpus. The same images were used each 

 time. The image of Jesus the Nazarene was 

 dressed in dark tunic, a cord at the belt, and 

 the stretcher decorated with field flowers. 

 Boys carried the stretcher. Anyone wishing 

 to participate dressed himself in a black tunic 

 and bonnet and went out to gather flowers. 

 The boys were called Judas. The images of 

 Mary Magdalene and the Virgin were also taken 

 in the procession. The image of the Virgin 

 was in the special charge of the roseras, who 

 dressed it and prepared the stretcher with 

 flowers. The pendompari carried a standard 

 ipendon) , from which her name is derived, 

 while the capitamoro carried a spray of flowers. 

 Both went ahead of the Virgin. The fiftcal 

 carried an incense burner at the head of the 

 procession. Twelve boys dressed in red tunics 

 represented the Twelve Apostles. 



On Palm Sunday palms brought from the hot 

 country are taken to the church to be blessed. 

 Formerly a more elaborate observance was held. 

 An image representing Christ was mounted on 

 the image of a burro called San Ramos. The 

 images were carried on a stretcher to the spring 

 supplying water and were put in a little shrine 

 made of flowers. To this spot came youths 

 who had left 2 weeks earlier to secure palms. 

 The youths came down to the spring from a 

 place called La Mesa, wearing carnations and 

 little gourds about their necks and cracking 

 their whips. The girls brought music for 

 dancing and also provided curipo and kurundas. 

 About 5 o'clock in the afternoon all went with 

 the palms to the church. 



On Holy Thursday there formerly was a 

 market at which the principal goods sold were 

 clothing and fruit from the hot country. People 

 purchased the latter to make offerings to the 

 church for the decoration of the altar. 



Holy Saturday the girls carried small, highly 

 decorated jars of water to be blessed. These 

 were used later to cure the sick and to protect 

 from "fright" {espanto) . When the church 

 bells ring, children and fruit trees are shaken 

 so that they will grow more rapidly. Images 

 of Judas are burned on the street corners at 

 this moment also. They are provided by any- 

 one who feels like doing so. 



In April the regidor notifies the youths to 

 clean the spring. The boys provide music and 

 the girls bring them curipo and kurundas. 



The day of the Assumption, most people go 

 to the fiesta at the town of Huancito. On their 

 return, the wild honey collectors go through the 

 streets announcing the fiesta of Corpus. They 

 play the chirimm and make a special cry called 

 pitakuri. 



Tvv'o days before the fiesta of Corpus, bread 

 is made in all the houses. The night before 

 Corpus, each barrio hires musicians to play. 

 On the day of Corpus the girls bathe at the 

 spring. On their return they dress for church. 

 In the afternoon, boys and girls gather and 

 present each other with fruit and trinkets. 



The following day there is a large fiesta in 

 the plaza. The ox drivers bring out their oxen 

 with the yokes decorated with silk kerchiefs, 

 ribbons, and flowers. The drivers also decorate 

 their hats with flowers and their goads with 



