The Inti Raymi Festival
Every year on June 24th, people in Cusco, Peru, celebrate one of their most important traditional festivals – the Inti Raymi, or the Incan Festival of the Sun.
The modern-day fiesta brings together hundreds of colorfully dressed performers who recreate old ceremonies.
The ancient Incas started the celebrations to praise the Sun God, the most respected Incan god.
In June, it is winter in Peru, so the date of June 24th marked the winter solstice and the start of the Incan New Year.
Traditionally, the Incan people would gather in Cusco to sacrifice llamas to the sun god in the hope of ensuring good future harvests.
A big feast of meat, breads, and tea would then be eaten by everyone.
After conquering the Inca Empire in 1570, Spanish rulers banned the festival.
Luckily, however, it returned in 1944.
Along with Mexico’s Day of the Dead and Brazil’s Carnival, it is one of Latin America’s biggest festivals.
