Here Comes the Sun: Peru's Inti Raymi Ceremony

The Inti Raymi is a centuries-old Incan ceremony, and the festival which surrounds it is the second largest in South America. Held annually on the winter solstice of the Southern Hemisphere, the ceremony began as a means of marking the Incan New Year and enticing Inti, the Incan sun god, to bring his warmth back to Earth through terrestrial tribute, ritual and sacrifice.

Since its invention, Inti Raymi has been held in Cuzco, the capital of the fallen Incan Empire. From 1412 to 1535, colorful processions, music, dancing and feasting annually filled the city's streets, and these traditions have been carried through to present versions of the ceremony. However, modern visitors won't witness ancestral remains being paraded to nearby temples, nor will they observe the state-ordained sacrifice of up to 200 llamas to honor the goddess Pachamama, Inti's mother. These practices were halted in 1535, when Inti Raymi was banned4 by Spanish occupiers.

The ceremony was revived in 1944. In its modern incarnation, Inti Raymi sees the streets around Coricancha (the Sun Temple) filled with revelers, thrown flowers and women regularly sweeping away bad luck with brooms. Actors are selected to play historical figures and stage ancient Incan rituals in the Incan tongue — including the rite of offering a faux sacrifice — at the massive stone ruin of Saksaywaman.


失落的文明慶典：秘魯太陽祭

太陽祭是個有數世紀歷史的印加儀式，而和它有關的慶典，規模是南美第二大。每年在南半球的冬至這天舉辦，這個儀式一開始是用來標誌印加的新年，以及透過人間的進貢、儀式和獻祭來吸引印加的太陽神，請他將溫暖帶回這個世界。
自開始以來，太陽祭就在失落的印加帝國首都庫斯科舉辦。從 1412 年到 1535 年，這座城市的街道上每年都會有五光十色的遊行隊伍、音樂、舞蹈和盛宴，而這些傳統一直沿襲到現今版本的儀式。然而，現代的遊客無法目睹祖先遺骸以遊行之姿被運送到鄰近的寺廟，也看不到帝國政府下令獻祭為數兩百隻的大羊駝來榮耀帕查瑪瑪女神，也就是太陽神的母親。這些習俗在 1535 年被中止，因為當時太陽祭被西班牙的占領者禁止舉辦。
這個儀式於 1944 年恢復舉行。在現代版的太陽祭中，可看到太陽神殿周遭的街道滿是狂歡者、撒下的花朵和拿著掃把要定時掃除壞運的女子。挑選出來的演員會在薩克塞華曼的巨大石牆遺跡飾演歷史人物，並以印加語言表演古印加儀式──包括假的獻祭。