Dance of the flyers, mexican culture.

in #culture6 years ago (edited)

Image of flyers

The possibilities of registering culture, art and traditions in the immutable blockchain amaze me, I wanted my first contribution to be about my country and about a tradition so beautiful and unique. It was during a trip to Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo a pretty and small town surrounded by mountains. I found in the middle of the town a huge pole with a group of voladores preparing for a dance (shown above in a picture I took), product of an old ritual performed in mesoamerican times, before America was conquered by the europeans.

This tradition has permeated internationally, the ritual belongs in the long list of Intangible Cultural Heritage practices that Mexico holds. The purpose of this fertility dance is to express respect for and harmony with the natural and spiritual worlds. As you can see five young men climb the 20 to 40 meters high pole only tied by long ropes. The one at the top plays his handmade flute and a drum dedicating his songs to the sun and each of the cardinal directions. While the top man performs the melodies, the other four begin to lower themselves to the ground while hanging to a spinning platform at the top of the pole.

The look in their faces as they perform shows pride and respect to their culture and heritage, not to mention the courage their maneuvers require.

The exact origin of this tradition remains unknown, but there is a legend which claims that years ago (hundreds of years) a drought affected the settlers of Totonacapan, a zone between Veracruz and Puebla. Driven by this situation, a group of elders entrusted a team of young men with the task of finding and bringing the most high, tough and straight tree to carry out a ritual accompanied by music and dancing. The purpose of the ritual was to ask for the benevolence of the gods in order to concede them generous rains for retrieving the fertility of their lands. The results of the ritual were positive and the tradition became a permanent practice in several regions.

Watching this practice is a beautiful experience, Mexico is full of this traditions, our people remains attached to the culture that defines us as mexicans. I encourage you to visit Mexico, to experience the beauty of a land that has been injured, that has recovered and that has evolved into a mix of old and new traditions. It is with pride that I show you this part of us, hoping for you to keep looking into our culture. If you are mexican, I salute you brother or sister, If you are not mexican I incite you to come and share your culture, leave a part of your country with us and keep evolving as we all do.

Sources:
https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/los-voladores-de-papantla.html
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ritual-ceremony-of-the-voladores-00175

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