Every year on June 21, Andean nations celebrate Inti Raymi, an ancient Incan tradition marking the winter solstice and honoring the sun.
Translated to the Festival of the Sun or Ritual Festival from the Indigenous Quechua language, Inti Raymi was one of the most important religious celebrations for the pre-Colombian Incan empire. The solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, with the festival honoring the Pachamama, or Mother Earth, for all of their harvests.
Because of the persecution of this tradition, which was considered a pagan holiday under the Spanish Empire, the celebration was largely silenced and carried out clandestinely in many regions as an act of cultural resistance.
Since the mid-20th century there has been a rise in public events honoring the holiday, particularly in Bolivia after the arrival of Evo Morales to the Presidency of Bolivia in 2006.
Meanwhile in Chile, the Mapuche people's variant of the Indigenous sun festival takes place between June 21 and June 24, and the concluding day's festival is known as We Tripantu.
A day of celebration, the solstice season is filled with song, drink, dance, and time-honored Indigenous rites celebrating nature.