Appearing in the 16th century, when the Inca was one of the most powerful empires in South America, Inti Raymi is a festival honoring the Sun God - the supreme god of the Inca people. This is considered an important festival of the ancient Inca culture and was lucky to survive the period of Spanish rule.
The Inti Raymi festival is held annually on June 24 in the city of Cuzco to honor the sun god, the god considered by the Incas to be the creator of all things on earth as well as the one who decides the fate of humans and the universe, to pray for good harvests and fertile fields.
The festival usually lasts for a week. During the day, there are exhibitions, displays, and street dancing and singing. In the evening, many live music shows are performed for free at Plaza de Armas for the local people.
In particular, a year before the festival, hundreds of actors are selected to play historical figures to perform in the festival. Typical traditional rituals such as sacrificing gods with white llamas, burning straw and jumping around the fire... will all be performed solemnly.
The centerpiece of the festival is the commemorative events that take place all day on June 24, which is considered the spirit of Inti Raymi. On this day, the rituals begin with the Sapa Inca calling on the sun god for blessings. After that, Sapa Inca sits on his throne and is carried in a procession to the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuamán.
The streets would be swept clean to ward off evil spirits and decorated with flowers, Sapa Inca would pass through here accompanied by music, prayers and dances. Sapa Inca would climb the sacred altar at Sacsayhuamán so that all the large waiting crowds could see him.
Once all the priests were seated in the great plaza of the fortress, the Sapa Inca, the priests and the representatives of Suyos would read their prayers.
This ritual was performed to ensure the fertility of the land combined with the light and warmth of the sun to produce a bountiful harvest. The highest priests would perform the ritual by holding aloft the bloody heart of a white llama sacrificed in the name of the goddess Pachamama (or Mother Earth). Other priests would read the bloodstains to predict the future of the Inca. Today, however, animals are no longer killed and the sacrifice is only a simulation.
