What is Inti Raymi and why is it celebrated in Peru

Every June 24 takes place one of the most important and traditional festivals for indigenous peoples and the entire Peruvian society in general. On this date the Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun takes place ; a special celebration created more than six centuries ago by the Incas where the sun is the protagonist and that marks the beginning of a new year in the Inca calendar.

You want to know more? Find out more about the Inti Raymy below.

What is the Inti Raymi?

The Inti Raymi is a celebration that is said to have been created and established by the Inca Pachacútec in the year 1430 of our era. It takes place every year during the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, that is, the day when the sun is farthest from the earth.

The Inti Raymi is the most important ancestral festival of the Tahuantinsuyo to which the inhabitants of the four of theirs used to go. The festival had the presence of the Inca for the last time in 1535, however the tradition did not end there and today it is more alive than ever, although in the year 1572 it was prohibited by the Spanish viceroy Francisco de Toledo because it was considered a Pagan party.

It was not until 1944 when Faustino Espinosa Navarro proposed that the Inti Raymi be held again as a way to celebrate our Peruvian culture and tradition. Since then, the holiday has become public again, attracting thousands of tourists each year.

Now, it should be noted that the Inti Raymi or Fiesta del Sol is not an exclusive festival of Peru ; It is shared by the majority of Andean populations such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and northern Argentina.