In the ancient yampara carnival: Phujllay
In a historical background that integrates different
ancient festivities, the carnival in tarabuco known as "pujllay"
yampara, keeps its folkloric essence almost without any change expressed
in its heavy dancing, its melancholic tone of music and the solitary
singing of the peasant who tries to express his love for a maid.
He recalls at the same time the circles or rounds of peasants and
mongrels (mestizos) of Chuquisaca, who go over the towns on foot or on
horseback visiting houses where there is chicha and pukaras and their
respective party sponsors.
In Phujllay, the pukaras or pre-inkan forts are converted into silver
arches adorned with white flags, foliages and crops of maize, flowers,
potatoes, produce, beehives, meat, drinks and so on.
In this carnival there coincide the prehispanic festivity of "Jatun
Pocoy" (grat growth) and Pauker Waray (Sacrifice to Sun Afterwards;
it was united to the commemoration of the victory of the yamparaes over
the Spaniards in the Jumbate Battle on March 12th. 1816.
The attire
One has to buy "gallos" (cocks) or spurs
from the blacksmith; that they make up out of percussion musical
instruments fit to the big ojotas (kind of sandals) of the dancers. The
higher the ojota, the more dexterous the dancer will be that is the one
who wears them.
The leggings of abundant colors and figures that cover only the heel as
high as the shinbone the tight-fitting jacket is a kind of blouse made
of black cloth and fit with wide sleeves.
The pants are two kinds, one is short made of black wool cloth and
another long made of white woolen cloth they are quite wide from the
legs down to the shin bones.
The leather worker makes the belly- band pierced with hundreds of
ringlets and repousée leather with figures of the zone, which serves as
a purse. From the pita, threading hundreds of bronze little bells hang
tied up with woolen string braids of bright colors.
A conical hat
The yampara makers of conical hats similar to the
masks of the conquistadores, are richly adorned with flowers. The
tailors make the coifs embroidered with thread of woolen strings and
allegories of the peasant carnival, which hang from the head of the
phujllay down shis back.
The uncku pallado is a small poncho (picked up at the collar) with
figures and allegories of the region; under are others of red, black,
yellow horizontal stripings, besides short multicolor flounces.
The chuspas (coca leaf containers) made by women, constitute the pride
of the family. To complete this luxurious finery they carry on two fine
silken handkerchiefs: one in the hand to keep the rhythm and /or the
other fixed behind down the back with the corner downwards.
The Musicians and Singers
Other peasants of humble costumes play the pentatonic
melody of pujllay, besides the new huayños composed. The "sencka"
tanch'ana, a big flute whose holes are quite below relative of the
mouthpiece waits for them which makes the musician to adopt a unique and
an uncomfortable position. The presence of "machu tockoro" or
idiophone is noted, whose mouthpiece recovers a leather flower ornaments
and a great condor feather.
At their turn, the singers sing a melody of love for a maid and coplas
(popular songs) of gratefulness to everything that surrounds them,
animals, fruit, and so on.
Nubile and eminent weavers able to offer the most ostentation loom to
cause admiration and love women also show dark costumes with
indiscriptible lijllas (large square bundlers) and a'pus phallados and
thick'anchados (adorned) with big topos (pins), phaca monteras (small
masks), multicolor ribbons and chaskas (coins) adorning her headfront,
and in her hand, a white wiphala (banner).
Burial of Phujllay
It was a custom to pretend this burial of the yampara
carnival on temptation Sunday (last day of Carnival) of a poorly dressed
peasant, whom the groups would chase throwing on him phullas (ash and
flour and cattle shed). After leaving the young man abandoned, who would
take the pretension of death of carnival, they would go back home with
unnatural laments for the burial.
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