The Good Fight: Takanakuy as Mechanism of Social Control & Conflict Resolution

Figure 1: Combatants shaking hands before beginning their ritualized Takanakuy combat (Image Credit: N. Villaume)

December is a time where cultural groups around the world come together to celebrate a variety of customs and traditions.  These can range in purpose from celebrating a religious deity (e.g., Advent or Yule), reinforcing cultural values and beliefs (e.g., Kwanzaa or Hanukkah) or appropriate behaviors (e.g., the Yule cat or Krampus), or simply bring communities together in celebration (e.g., Mummering).  The diversity of December holiday traditions is great, and today’s blog post will feature one more December, specifically Christmas day, tradition: the annual ritualized violence of Takanakuy, observed in Peru.

 

Takanakuy is an annual ritual fight observed on December 25 in the Chumbivilcas province of southern Peru.  The term is a Quechua word that means “to hit each other,” which both accurately and succinctly captures what the event is about-to fight.  The purpose of the Takanakuy custom is for participants to pre-plan and execute a public fight between willing combatants.  These fights can come about from personal or family squabbles or more serious matters, such as contract violations or other legal matters.  Anyone, regardless of age or gender, can engage in these fights.  Combatants agree to fight ahead of time, and they alter their appearance by wearing masks and costumes as well as change the pitch of their voice to avoid saboteurs from interrupting or disrupting their conflict (Figure 1).  Upon entering the fighting area, which is typically a public town square or gathering place, combatants shake hands or embrace, fight for five to ten minutes with just their hands (no weapons are allowed, and there are strict rules of combat that must be adhered to).  Referees, selected from local villages by the majority of townspeople, strictly supervise the fighters and manage the crowds.  Upon completion of the combat both fighters embrace, and the entire community comes together to celebrate together.  The largest gatherings of hand to hand combats occur in the village of Santos Tomás, but smaller versions of the Takanakuy do take place in various villages and residential areas throughout the Chumbivilcas province.

 

The Takanakuy’s purpose is not just to fight but to act as a mechanism of conflict resolution.  Individuals who engage in the hand-to-hand combat also agree to resolve any and all differences within the fighting area.  Regardless of who “wins” the fight the conflict is considered fully resolved at the cessation of the fight, and both parties are not to speak of the issue that initiated the fight from then on.  The public nature of the physical fights ensures that both parties adhere to these expectations and rules.  If either or both were to reengage in the conflict the community members who watched the fight would intervene accordingly.  Ultimately, these ritualized combats act as mechanisms of social control by allowing individuals to resolve their conflicts quickly and efficiently.  By using one quick fight to resolve their issues the likelihood of the conflict never being resolved or being unnecessarily drawn out and dragging others into the mix is eliminated.  This also reduces the likelihood of revenge fighting to occur since all participants and community members agree that the conflict is now fully resolved after the fight has ended.

 

This tradition may seem quite odd to outsiders, but it is an accepted and celebrated custom among the citizens of the Chumbivilcas province.  They view it as a favorable celebration despite the fact that participants get very bloody and a few have died during the melee.  It is steeped in hundreds of years of traditions, and it ultimately connects them to their traditional culture, which had been previously repressed through colonialism.  Additionally, the Takanakuy is a strictly voluntary custom, as well as an effective means of conflict resolution that has many benefits not just for the participants but the community at large, making the benefits outweigh the consequences.

 

References

Escalante, Edwar E. and Raymond J. March. "Fighting on Christmas: brawling as self-governance in rural Peru." Journal of Institutional Economics (2019): 1-14. Electronic.

Mpannell1. "Takanakuy." 29 October 2018. Cross Cultural Psychology. 6 December 2021.

Villaume, Nicolas. "Takanakuy: Boiling Blood and Healing Wounds in Peru." Americas Quarterly 17 January 2018.

 

“Tradition!”: Why Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas

All humans have specific biological needs that must be met.  We must sleep, we must breathe, and we must eat.  Eating is inherently biological but also culturally controlled in various ways.  Food provides insights into one’s identity, which is why there is an entire field of anthropological study focused on cultures and food.  Within this vein of inquiry is today’s blog post, which seeks to answer the question of why American Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas.  While searching for this answer I discovered that Chinese food actually goes beyond just being a Christmas tradition; it is one that has been incorporated into American, particularly New York City, Jewish identity.  This blog post will provide the cultural historical reasons for how and why Chinese food is now understood to be part of American Jewish identity.

 

It all started over a century ago (in the late 1800s and early 1900s) when European and Asian populations began immigrating to the United States.  European populations came to the US to escape poverty and in search of the “American dream,” meaning the ability to make an economically stable life for themselves.  For Jewish populations, there was an additional reason why they came to the United States: to escape religious persecution they were facing throughout Europe.  Asian populations, particularly Chinese, were also drawn to the US seeking economic prosperity, but they were actively recruited or tricked into coming.  Chinese men were hired to build the rail road lines or mine for gold, whereas many Chinese (and other Asian) women were either kidnapped and forcibly brought to the US or lured under false pretenses wherein they thought they would be working for legitimate businesses but then forced into prostitution.  European populations entered and began settling the eastern coasts, while Chinese and Asian populations worked and settled the western coasts. 

 

Chinese populations later moved east due to increasing anti-Asian sentiments, which brought about a variety of extremely discriminatory laws and led to various bloody riots.  Many moved to the cosmopolitan and seemingly immigrant friendly cities, including New York City, and due to their previous experiences Chinese immigrants opened up businesses that did not put them in direct competition with other immigrant or American populations.  One such business enterprise was the budding restaurant industry, which led to various Chinese restaurants popping up across the United States.  These restaurants were in less competition with other immigrant owned restaurants for various reasons.  Chinese restaurants provided inexpensive and seemingly exotic food that other restaurants could not or did not provide.  The décor in Chinese restaurants was areligious, and the food served was specifically tailored to appeal to various tastes.  Many other restaurants catered to specific clientele, making them feel exclusive.  Chinese restaurants specifically provided a welcoming environment to and for all patrons, making them pluralistic safe havens for various diners, regardless of racial or ethnic identity.  Furthermore, when Prohibition took hold in the 1920s it was reported that many Chinese restaurants ignored the law and served traditional alcoholic beverages to their paying customers.

 

According to some scholars food is an important part of Jewish heritage as it is not just about sustaining nutritional needs.  Food is also used as a means of bringing together people within the community, and the act of eating delicious food is viewed as a connection to God.  Traditional Jewish customs maintain strict dietary customs and restrictions, which is known as eating kosher.  Under kosher requirements one cannot eat unclean meats, must only consume meat from humanely butchered animals, and can never consume meat and cheese together.   While the first Jewish immigrants to the US were very keen on maintaining these culinary traditions subsequent generations were more interested in assimilating to mainstream American culture.  This coincided with the new American trend of eating out.  While there were several different restaurants available to patronize many Jewish individuals were limited by the core Kosher requirements, socioeconomic status, and a need to feel like eating out was a special treat.  This drew many to Chinese restaurants.

 

Chinese cuisine is prepared and cooked in ways that make it a safe unkosher option for Jews.  The food very rarely (if at all) combines dairy and meat together, which is one of the central requirements of kosher cuisine.  While Chinese food does utilize “unclean” meats these can either be easily avoided or are minced or chopped up that Jews either do not realize or can willfully ignore their consumption.  Also, many of the key ingredients in Chinese cuisine are similar to those of traditional Jewish meals, meaning they appealed to the already established Jewish tastes.  Chinese food was also typically inexpensive, meaning any Jew, regardless of their socioeconomic status, could enjoy eating out at these restaurants, and the exotic nature of the cuisine fulfilled that “special treat” desire that eating out typically encouraged.

 

An additional important factor for why Jews eat Chinese food is that both Chinese and Jewish immigrants shared several key characteristics in common-they were non-Christians who were and continued to be widely discriminated against.  Jews who patronized Chinese restaurants often felt safe in these establishments, whereas in other places anti-Semitic sentiments were openly evident.  Additionally, Jewish patrons were welcome in Chinese restaurants because Chinese restaurant owners strove to create and foster a welcoming atmosphere for all.  Because the Chinese were also non-Christians their restaurants were often the only ones open on Christian holidays, providing the only option for eating out for Jewish patrons.  This is actually what led to the tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas.  Jewish people still wanted to be included in the Christmas celebrations, although they did not want to celebrate Christmas in the traditional ways.  As the holiday is about celebrating with family and friends over a large meal Jews could still feel included in the mainstream holiday by eating out at Chinese restaurants, which remained open. 

 

Over time, eating at Chinese restaurants became a central part of American Jewish identity.  The shared experiences of discrimination connected Chinese and Jewish populations, and the commonalities in their unique cuisines also lent itself to solidifying this relationship.  The notion of Chinese food being an additional part of American Jewish identity has become mainstream, popping up in various television series, movies, and comedic acts, and now you know why. 

 

Works Cited

Miller, Hanna. "Identity Takeout: How American Jews Made Chinese Food Their Ethnic Cuisine." The Journal of Popular Culture (2006): 430-465. Print.

Plaut, Rabbi Joshua. Why Do Jewish People Eat Chinese Food On Christmas? Robert Siegel. 25 December 2017. Electronic.

Tuchman, Gaye and Harry G. Levine. ""Safe Treyf": New York Jews and Chinese Food." Shortridge, Barbara and James Shortridge. The Taste of American Place: A Reader on Regional and Ethnic. ‎ Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1997. 163-184. Print.

 

Mari Lwyd: The “Comeback Kid” of Holiday Traditions

Figure 1: Mari Lwyd celebration in Wales (Image Source: The Daily Post)

With another holiday season is in full swing it seems only fitting that the various unique holiday traditions celebrated around the globe be discussed.  This blog post will introduce you to the end of year celebration of Mari Lywd, which is celebrated throughout southern Wales.  This odd but fun loving tradition almost disappeared, but it is making a comeback throughout the country and taking off across the globe.

 

Mari Lwyd, which translates to “Grey Mare”, “Holy Mary”, or “The Grey Mary”, is celebrated throughout December and sometimes into January.  The celebration involves an individual donning a decorated horse skull, adorned with colorful ribbons and bells, and covered in a sheet (Figure 1).  This individual is often accompanied by mummers and traditional dancers.  The group goes door to door initiating ritual “battles” involving pwnco, which is made up of poetry, rhyme, and riddles, often centering around insults and tongue-in-cheek statements, with homeowners.  The “combatants” engage in these wars of words for however long they wish.  Ultimately the goal of the Mari Lwyd and her companions is to enter the home for food and drink, and the homeowners comply in order to have good luck bestowed upon them. 

 

The origins of the Mari Lwyd celebration are unknown, but it is known to be pagan tradition dating back at least 3000 years ago.  The Mari Lwyd is believed to be a representation of a death god, and some associate it with Rhiannon, a pagan horse goddess and Queen of the Underworld.  Its pagan associations were why it was almost completely abolished, but a recent resurgence of the holiday among southern Welsh citizens has brought it back.  It has grown in popularity ever since, and it is beginning to be celebrated in other parts of the world, primarily out of interest and fascination.

 

Bibliography

Connaughton, Marybeth. Ok Whatever. 23 December 2020. Electronic. 16 November 2021.

Leaver, Joel. "The terrifying and weird tradition of the Mari Lwyd which is celebrated every December." Daily Post UK 6 December 2018. Electronic.

Mari Arts. Mari Lwyd: The Magic Of The Mari... 3 September 2015. Electronic. 16 November 2021.

National Museum Wales. Christmas customs: The Mari Lwyd. 14 June 2014. Electronic. 16 November 2021.

Rummel, Rachel. Ritual & Medicinal: Mari Lwyd. N.D. <https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/mari-lwyd-horse-skull-wales-wassailing>.