Inti Raymi Fiesta
Inti Raymi Fiesta
The original Inti Raymi celebration involved animal sacrifices performed by the shaman or priest at the top of the hill of La Marca when the sun reached its zenith at the solstice. Today the main celebration takes place in Cuzco, the 12th-century Incan capital, where there is a special procession and mock sacrifice to the sun, followed by a week-long celebration involving folkloric dances, tours of archeological ruins, and regional arts and crafts displays. Bonfires are still lit in the Andes Mountains to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, and people burn their old clothes as a way of marking the end of the harvest cycle.
Commission for the Promotion of Peru
Calle Uno Oeste No. 50, piso 13th
Urb. Corpac
Lima, 27 Peru
51-14-224-3131; fax: 51-1-224-7134
www.promperu.gob.pe
AnnivHol-2000, p. 105
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 526, 1032, 1055
FiestaTime-1965, p. 104
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 149