The story
Takanakuy Festival in Chumbivilcas
Every December 25, the Chumbivilcas province of Cusco hosts Takanakuy, a Christmas Day ritual in which community members settle year-old grievances through supervised one-on-one fistfights. Masked and costumed fighters, accompanied by huaylia music, take turns in a public arena governed by strict rules, ending each bout with a handshake or embrace regardless of outcome.
On December 25, while much of the Christian world marks a day of peace, the villages of Chumbivilcas province in Cusco stage Takanakuy, a tradition in which neighbors, relatives, and rivals settle a year's accumulated disputes through supervised, one-on-one fistfights.