Inti Raymi
Inti Raymi is a festival that happens on June 24th in Cusco every year. Meaning “Sun Celebration” in Quechua (the Incan language), Inti Raymi celebrates Inti, the Sun God, one of the most revered gods in Inca religion. My friend and I had no idea this festival was taking place when we planned our trip. Upon arriving at our hostel, we saw flyers up about the festival and inquired as to what it was, only to find out it’s the biggest festival of the year. The entire city center of Cusco is closed off to cars for the whole day!
Exhausted from our trip to Machu Picchu the day before, we decided to skip our day trip out to Humantay Lake and opted to explore the town of Cusco and see Inti Raymi instead. Little did we know this festival takes place the entire day and entails huge processions of bands, dancers, and theatrical actors who re-enact chronicles of Inca history.
Inti Raymi starts at 8 am on the main plaza in Cusco, in front of the Coricancha, with mass in the cathedral. The rainbow Inti Raymi flag is waving throughout the entire day, while the Sapa Inca (a coveted role) addresses the Sun God in Quechua. He thanks Inti for all his blessings and is then carried on a throne all the way out to the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where he will perform rituals and sacrifices thanking Inti for his generosity.
This celebration of the winter solstice gives the people of Cusco a sense of identity. Locals from provinces all around Peru process for five kilometers, dancing to lively music, singing, and performing along the ancient path to the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman laid down over 600 years. the ancient Incan festival used to involve real sacrifes in order to ask Inti to return to give life to the land. The modern revival of the festival, however, instead emphasizes symbolic offerings of figurines and effigies. One person dressed up as a figurine threw candy out to bystanders and another blew bubbles at children dancing in the street.
Inti Raymi was one of the most spectacular performances I’ve ever seen. Seeing people from all over Peru gather to celebrate an important day in their culture and religion gave me a good taste of what was important to Peruvians. If you ever are visiting Peru around June 24, I highly recommend checking out the festival! There are so many ways to experience Inti Raymi as a tourist: you can stand on the side of the road and watch the procession, listen to the speeches in the main plaza, sit in one of the many cafes or restaurants around the plaza and listen to the music, or watch one of the main ceremonies over at Sacsayhuaman (whether you pay for a grandstand seating ticket or watch from one of the two overlooking hills).
