It all begins with the Day of the Pachamama, when offering are given to the earth to calm its thirst. In this way, just like the Incas, we look into the future to see how the coming months will be, whether they are months of hard work in which we will be able to meet our goals.
August is called the month of winds because in the month the flow of wind in the afternoons increases. It is a great time to play with kites. Many people, adults, children, and youths, enjoy making them fly high.
The best palces for flying kites are places where there are no trees close by nor high tension wires. Generally you want an broad esplanade where you can run freely. People love to go to Saqsayhuaman, as one example, to fly their kites. Another good place is Patapata in the district of San Jeronimo. You can also go to the pampas, the flat grassy lands of Poroy, Iscuchaca, and Anta.
On Sundays this month a great number of people will invade those spaces with kites in hand to fly them as high as they can and, in this way, enjoy their Sunday.
Educational institutions and also kindergartens animate kids to take part in this game. It is a tradition to fly these in Cuzco, something we have inherited from times past. I learned from my Father, and he from his father, and so on.
With modernization, kites have become much easier to get. It used to be an entire process to make a good kite, but now you can buy them cheaply, for 2 or 3 soles depending on the model and its material.
Just like August, other months have names by which they are known. This is the month of winds; February, the month of love and carnaval; May the month of Mother’s Day; June, the month of Cuzco; July, the month of patriotism; October, the purple month; and so on.
Each month is enjoyed to the fullest with games, festivities, food, culture, dances, etc. The whole year, as a result, we have to enjoy on a large scale, without letting these important times of our calendar pass us by.
