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Andean Indigenous Communities Celebrate Sun Festival, New Year

IN PICTURES: Indigenous festivals honoring the sun are taking place across the Andes as millions mark the Southern Hemisphere's June solstice.

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.

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In 2009, Bolivian President Evo Morales declared June 21st a national holiday.
In 2009, Bolivian President Evo Morales declared June 21st a national holiday. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
Across the Andes there are an estimated 2 million members of the Aymara Indigenous nation.
Across the Andes there are an estimated 2 million members of the Aymara Indigenous nation. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
An ancient Incan solstice celebration, it survived Spain’s colonial attempts to rub it out.
An ancient Incan solstice celebration, it survived Spain’s colonial attempts to rub it out. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
As the Inca Empire spread, so did Inti Raymi, merging with local beliefs and traditions of Andean peoples.
As the Inca Empire spread, so did Inti Raymi, merging with local beliefs and traditions of Andean peoples. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
The name Inti Raymi comes from the Quechua language: inti means “sun” and raymi means “festival.”
The name Inti Raymi comes from the Quechua language: inti means “sun” and raymi means “festival.” Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
The festival also takes place in the Andean villages of Peru, Argentina and Ecuador.
The festival also takes place in the Andean villages of Peru, Argentina and Ecuador. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
Several people dressed in traditional Aymara clothing mark Inti Raymi.
Several people dressed in traditional Aymara clothing mark Inti Raymi. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
Fire plays a large part in the Festival of the Sun.
Fire plays a large part in the Festival of the Sun. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
The holiday, now celebrated as a state holiday in Bolivia, was once marked clandestinely to avoid suppression by colonial authorities.
The holiday, now celebrated as a state holiday in Bolivia, was once marked clandestinely to avoid suppression by colonial authorities. Photo:teleSUR / Dimitri O'Donnell
A young Mapuche woman dances in the We Tripantu, or the Mapuche New Year, in Santiago, Chile.
A young Mapuche woman dances in the We Tripantu, or the Mapuche New Year, in Santiago, Chile. Photo:EFE
A Mapuche woman participates in the rites of We Tripantu, or the Mapuche New Year, in Santiago de Chile.
A Mapuche woman participates in the rites of We Tripantu, or the Mapuche New Year, in Santiago de Chile. Photo:EFE
In 2014, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced a policy reform aimed at rectifying discriminatory policies towards Chile’s Indigenous population established under the Pinochet regime.
In 2014, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced a policy reform aimed at rectifying discriminatory policies towards Chile’s Indigenous population established under the Pinochet regime. "Almost 25 years and five presidencies have passed since we recovered our democracy and despite our effort we are still in debt to [Chile's] Indigenous people," Bachelet said, referring to the period since the end of the 1973-1990 military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. "Now is the time to have the courage to take new steps forward, not with an eye on the short term but aiming to achieve the progress that has long eluded our brothers and sisters from the Indigenous communities." Photo:EFE
Published 21 June 2016
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