The Many Forms & Traditions of Home
I'm back from just over two weeks of vacation in Peru where I was blessed to have several opportunities to interact with local communities and learn about their culture and traditional ways of life. As a new homeowner, I spent a bit of time thinking about what defines a home (and seeking just the right souvenir to add to mine). At its most basic, home is safe shelter. In Peru, this can vary more widely than back here in the US.
From the modern apartments of Lima...
and the hilly adobe complexes of local farming communities on the shore of Lake Titicaca...
to the tents of trekkers along the Inca Trail...
to iconic Incan sites like Macchu Picchu...
and thatched bungalows in the Amazon,
shelter comes in many forms, but what makes it Home? Do you have traditions for a new living space that help transform it from house to home? Perhaps smudging with sage, a blessing, or placing a good luck charm? Or maybe a ritual of ordering pizza and cracking open a beer or bottle of wine to be enjoyed among the moving boxes? I'd love to hear your new home traditions! I'll be starting a few of my own.
In the rural altiplano communities of Peru, a new home is marked with the gift of clay bulls perched on the rooftop. The Torito de Pucara provides good fortune, fertility (of crops, livestock, etc.), and protection for the house and its inhabitants. The bulls are made by local artisans in many colors and styles, though red clay seems to be most common. Sometimes a cross is situated between the bulls - a merging of Christian and pre-Christian traditions. Other times, additional bulls or other figures grace the rooftop as families grow.
Well, clearly, my new house needed a Torito de Pucara! In my group of travel companions, there was another woman around my age, Kara, who was a recent homeowner. Kara and her friend, Jenn, hiked the Inca Trail with me, and I can think of no better pair of women with whom to share that challenging and moving experience. We encouraged one another through the thin air and never-ending stairs, took time to absorb our incredible surroundings, and gave each other both the space and companionship needed throughout the four days of trekking. At the end of our time in Peru, Kara and I gifted each other bulls for our houses. My Torito de Pucara is the first thing I moved into my new house. (Unlike in Peru, he won't be living on the rooftop.) Whether or not he provides good fortune for the future, he will be a wonderful reminder of my travel companions and the challenging, enriching, bucket-list experiences I had in Peru.
Kara and Jenn, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hope to see you again soon!
From the modern apartments of Lima...
to the reed houses of the floating Uros Islands...
and thatched bungalows in the Amazon,
shelter comes in many forms, but what makes it Home? Do you have traditions for a new living space that help transform it from house to home? Perhaps smudging with sage, a blessing, or placing a good luck charm? Or maybe a ritual of ordering pizza and cracking open a beer or bottle of wine to be enjoyed among the moving boxes? I'd love to hear your new home traditions! I'll be starting a few of my own.
In the rural altiplano communities of Peru, a new home is marked with the gift of clay bulls perched on the rooftop. The Torito de Pucara provides good fortune, fertility (of crops, livestock, etc.), and protection for the house and its inhabitants. The bulls are made by local artisans in many colors and styles, though red clay seems to be most common. Sometimes a cross is situated between the bulls - a merging of Christian and pre-Christian traditions. Other times, additional bulls or other figures grace the rooftop as families grow.
Well, clearly, my new house needed a Torito de Pucara! In my group of travel companions, there was another woman around my age, Kara, who was a recent homeowner. Kara and her friend, Jenn, hiked the Inca Trail with me, and I can think of no better pair of women with whom to share that challenging and moving experience. We encouraged one another through the thin air and never-ending stairs, took time to absorb our incredible surroundings, and gave each other both the space and companionship needed throughout the four days of trekking. At the end of our time in Peru, Kara and I gifted each other bulls for our houses. My Torito de Pucara is the first thing I moved into my new house. (Unlike in Peru, he won't be living on the rooftop.) Whether or not he provides good fortune for the future, he will be a wonderful reminder of my travel companions and the challenging, enriching, bucket-list experiences I had in Peru.
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