Inti Raymi the party to thank the Sun and Mother Earth

Every year, the Kichwa peoples of Ecuador celebrate the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun). The Andean popular custom, in 2020, has stayed at home, the winter solstice did not summon massive gatherings to tap, dance, sing songs, and enjoy traditional food, but the energy, strength, and gratitude will have more force in 2021.

Today we want to tell you some details of this festivity, we are sure that in 365 days we will meet to thank the Sun and Pachamama for the food on our tables. The season shows us the change of cycle with the beginning of the harvests. The main day of the celebration is June 21, the date on which the sun is closest to the earth causing the shortest day and the longest night.

Music, dance, and ritual acts dominated the ceremonial and sacred places, located along the inter-Andean alley because it is believed that in these places the energy of the gods and nature come together to charge with energy those who join in this celebration.

Traditionally on these dates, various communities in the Andes gathered and prepared various activities and rituals to honor the Taita Inti, an example is Cotacachi where the spiritual and symbolic ritual of taking the plaza, called dancers and musicians, who rotated in circles with strength and courage to keep the earth awake, and that it receives the offerings of human beings.

Another activity of importance on the date is the bath of purification and renewal of energies, led by shamans. Also, in Inti Raymi the traditional pampamesa is performed, an ancestral ritual where typical foods of the Andean area are shared such as corn, potatoes, melloco, beans, and others, combined with different meats, especially guinea pig. The food reflects community and unity since food is placed on a tablecloth placed on the floor; everyone eats and enjoys this moment and of course the "chicha", a traditional indigenous drink.

Diablo Huma, the connection with the cosmos, in the festival of the Sun

The party has the main character, and it is the Aya Uma (Devil's Head) or Diablo Huma, which has an important spiritual meaning for the indigenous communities that congregate in sacred places to thank Pachamama for the harvests. The cosmic order comes to the party with this character who drives away the demons that haunt the harvests.

The Inti Raymi shows the syncretism of the Andean and Western culture, and the Aya Uma is an example of this. The name of the devil was assigned in the process of the Spanish conquest to spread fear in the indigenous culture, for celebrating festivals in honor of the gods of nature such as the Sun, the Moon, and the Pachamama. Over time

his name was transmitted over the centuries as Diablo Huma, however, its meaning transcends evil, the connotation of the Spanish religion, because its function on the day of maximum celebration (June 22) is to gather the good energy and being the connection between the cosmos and earthly life.

This character is part of purification and renewal baths under the waterfalls of the Andean region, to acquire the spiritual power of nature, necessary to fight against the protuberant energies. At the party, the Devil Huma dances in three times to connect with the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. The man who represents him becomes a spiritual being who breaks the myth to transcend reality and embodies the energies of the deities.

His outfit consists of a colored mask and two faces. It shows the duality of the cosmos (good and evil, sun and moon, good and bad, day and night, future and present, north and south). It also has hair that symbolizes wisdom and the flower of corn. Four types of ears that refer to the four directions and the four elements of nature, air, water, fire, and earth, are also admired in his mask, according to various historical documents.

Also, his outfit consists of a whip, a symbol of power and authority. His legs are covered with a sheepskin (a garment made with different animal skins) to guide those who participate in the Inti Raymi party. In some indigenous communities, the Devil Huma sings wind instruments, while dancing to the rhythm of drums, guitars, and songs of indigenous women.

We are sure that a new cycle will be fulfilled, the spiral cyclical process will continue, even if we are at home. In this year we keep the strength of the footing, we thank at home for the kindness of the deities of nature and we are sure.

-Ecuador Ministry of Tourism (24th June, 2020)-