Voladores (Mexico)
- Name of sport (game): Voladores
- Place of practice (continent, state, nation):
Mexico, especially the Totonac people in the eastern state of Veracruz
- History:
The early history of the ceremonial flight of the Voladores is shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Information about the original ritual was partially lost when the invading conquerors from Spain destroyed so many of the documents of the indigenous cultures. Fortunately, enough survived through legend and oral history and in materials written by early visitors to New Spain, that anthropologists and historians have been able to document at least part of the story of this ancient religious practice and how it has evolved through time.
A Totonaca myth tells of a time when there was a great drought, and food and water grew scarce throughout the land. Five young men decided that they must send a message to Xipe Totec, God of fertility so that the rains would return and nurture the soil, and their crops would again flourish. So they went into the forest and searched for the tallest, straightest tree they could find.
When they came upon the perfect tree, they stayed with it overnight, fasting and praying for the tree’s spirit to help them in their quest. The next day they blessed the tree, then felled it and carried it back to their village, never allowing it to touch the ground. Only when they decided upon the perfect location for their ritual, did they set the tree down.
The men stripped the tree of its leaves and branches, dug a hole to stand it upright, then blessed the site with ritual offerings. The men adorned their bodies with feathers so that they would appear like birds to Xipe Totec, in hope of attracting the god’s attention to their important request. With vines wrapped around their waists, they secured themselves to the pole and made their plea through their flight and the haunting sound of the flute and drum.
In Mesoamerican times the ritual of the Volador was performed throughout much of Mexico and extended as far south as Nicaragua. It was performed once every 52 years at the change of the century, and the brotherhood of the Voladores was passed from father to son. Today, the Totonaca people still perform the flight of the Voladores in cities in Veracruz and at festivals throughout Mexico.
Source: https://sites.uwm.edu/kahl/weather-webquests/history-of-the-voladores/ - Description:
The ritual ceremony of the Voladores (‘flying men’) is a fertility dance performed by several ethnic groups in Mexico and Central America, especially the Totonac people in the eastern state of Veracruz, to express respect for and harmony with the natural and spiritual worlds. During the ceremony, four young men climb a wooden pole eighteen to forty metres high, freshly cut from the forest with the forgiveness of the mountain god. A fifth man, the Caporal, stands on a platform atop the pole, takes up his flute and small drum and plays songs dedicated to the sun, the four winds and each of the cardinal directions. After this invocation, the others fling themselves off the platform ‘into the void’. Tied to the platform with long ropes, they hang from it as it spins, twirling to mimic the motions of flight and gradually lowering themselves to the ground.
Source: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ritual-ceremony-of-the-voladores-00175 - Current status:
Practiced
- Importance (for practitioners, communities etc.):
Every variant of the dance brings to life the myth of the birth of the universe, so that the ritual ceremony of the Voladores expresses the worldview and values of the community, facilitates communication with the gods and invites prosperity. For the dancers themselves and the many others who participate in the spirituality of the ritual as observers, it encourages pride in and respect for one’s cultural heritage and identity.
Source: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ritual-ceremony-of-the-voladores-00175 - Sources of information :
Articles:
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/the-voladores-ceremony
https://sites.uwm.edu/kahl/weather-webquests/history-of-the-voladores/Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DINkrYj3GpY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqbMpsEwrDQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JyLCtOnaLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTLhiYeNLs0Source of photos used in this article and gallery:
Photo: Guillaume Lanouhe, Brev’Art - Gallery:
