Peru Events and Festivals

6/24/2009 - 6/24/2009Inti Raymi

The biggest folklore spectacular in Peru takes place during the southern hemisphere's Winter Solstice and coincides with the gathering of the harvest. Of pre-Hispanic origin, Inti Raymi recreates the scale and majesty of Inca ritual and celebration. Following a script refined by considerable research and with great attention to detail, thousands of actors perform an authentic ceremony giving thanks to the sun god, Inti. In a grand procession, the ruling Inca is carried on a royal litter from the Temple of the Sun to the historic main square of the city. Here, he issues commands to his subordinates to govern his vast realms with fairness and justice. The performance along with vast crowds then moves up to the Inca citadel high above the town where a pair of llamas is sacrificed and their entrails examined for signs of what the year ahead might bring. The fat is burned and the smoke produced is similarly interpreted for omens. The spectacle ends at sunset, but this is just the beginning of the revelries that continue for several days.