Inti Raymi – Inca New Year celebration in the Andes Mountains
Inti Raymi is a celebration of the sun that occurs on the winter solstice – June in the southern hemisphere. The festival is a celebration of the sun’s return after the shortest day of the year. It is also the start of the New Year on the Inca Calendar.
Inti is the name of the Incan sun god in the Quechua language. The festival is meant to honor the sun, and welcome his return. This return will bring a new harvest and thus life in the coming year.
Who Celebrates Inti Raymi?
The Quechua people, as well as other cultures across South America celebrate Inti Raymi each year. These traditions are practiced in Andes mountains of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived and began slaughtering and subjugating the Inca and other indigenous cultures they banned Inti Raymi, and other traditions. As a result the celebrations were held in secret for many years.
Thankfully now the people’s of South America are able to practice their traditions more openly.
This video was filmed in Cayambe, Ecuador on June 21, 2019. I was in Ecuador filming an event for a non-profit and was able to experience and film many wonderful things. While I was in Ecuador I also had the opportunity to interview several indigenous shamans. The first interview I edited can be viewed here.
