Inti Raymi: Spectacular Incan Festival of the Sun

There can be no ignoring the Incan roots of the spectacular city of Cusco, high in the Peruvian Andes. And if there is one festival that epitomises all things Incan, it’s Inti Raymi, the largest and most important festival in the Inca calendar, and one that still takes place today, on June 24th each year.

According to Incan mythology, Inti was the sun god, and the name Inti Raymi comes from the Quechuan language meaning ‘Festival of the Sun’. Inca religion focused predominantly on the worship of the sun, being an essential aspect of life: it provided both light and warmth, and crop growth depended on it.

Inti Raymi therefore grew as a religious ceremony in honor of Inti, but it also marked the winter solstice – when the sun is furthest from the Earth – and the start of a new year. It took place at the end of the potato and corn harvest to thank the sun for a successful crop, and to ask for another good crop the following season. Although the winter solstice ‘officially’ begins on 21st June, the Incan sundial – known as Pacha Unachaq – showed that the sun remained in the same place for a few days before rising on 24th June.  So it was that Inti Raymi festival was dated 24th June.

Today, Inti Raymi celebrations take place 2km outside Cusco, in the magnificent walled complex of Sacsayhuamán. It is the second largest festival in South America, after Rio’s carnival. Peruvians, South Americans and visitors from all over the globe come together for the week-long celebrations that include music, concerts, dancing, street fairs, exhibitions, religious ceremonies and elaborate traditional dress. By day the streets are filled with the sound of celebration and the scent of fresh flowers, and by night popular Peruvian groups put on free concerts in the main square, the Plaza de Armas.

Yet the real highlight is on the day itself, 24th June. A procession, led by the Incan emperor Sapa Inca on his throne, and followed by elaborately robed priests, nobles and other celebrants (some 500 actors bring the past alive with their portrayals of typical Incan citizens), winds its way from Santo Domingo church in central Cusco to Sacsayhuamán, where it is met by huge crowds. Sapa Inca then sits upon a sacred altar, in view of everyone, and the day proceeds with speeches, a sacrificial llama and prayers for the fertility of the earth. As the sun sets, fires are lit and people dance. Inti Raymi finishes, and new year begins, with a similar procession back to Cusco.

Cusco gets very busy as Inti Raymi approaches and the town prepares for the biggest celebration of the year. Accommodation gets booked up far in advance; why not get round this by taking a Spanish language course in Cusco and staying with a local family? This is the ideal way to immerse yourself in the language and culture, and will help you to experience Inti Raymi celebrations from the ‘inside’ rather than just as a passing tourist. Cactus runs Spanish courses in Cusco at all levels and from one week upwards. There is even a special Spanish Flavours of the Andes course where you can enjoy true Latin Culture!

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