Inca and his entourage at the Inti Raymi

Inti Raymi at Sacsayhuaman Inca fortress

The Inti Raymi "Coya" or Queen in Quechua

Tickets and tours for the Inti Raymi festival of the Sun, Peru's largest and most famous celebration, are now available at IntiRaymiPeru.com

CUSCO, CUSCO, PERU, April 22, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Tickets and tour reservations for the Inti Raymi sun festival went on sale today at IntiRaymiPeru.com, a week after Peruvian President Dina Boluarte attended a promotional Inti Raymi ceremony in Lima, the capital of Peru, to promote the actual event on June 24, 2023, in Cusco.

Peruvian President Boluarte said some 70,000 tourists are expected to attend the Inti Raymi, during a time that Cusco, a city known for its tourist attractions mainly Machu Picchu, is restarting its economy after being hit hard by severe political protests that have negatively affected Peru's tourism.

Tourism in Peru makes up the nation's third-largest industry and this is why the 2023 Inti Raymi festival is key to re-ignite Cusco's local economy. The organizers have announced that only 3,750 Inti Raymi tickets will be made available for the private show that will take place in Cusco's Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman where ticket holders will experience the most beautiful re-enactment of the Inca Empire's most famous festival ceremony.

The Inti Raymi in the time of the Incas was a religious ceremony, which nowadays is a theatrical celebration of the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset and also the Inca New Year. It is filled with colorful dances and processions, as well as animal sacrifices to thank Pachamama or Mother Earth and to ensure a good cropping season.

The first Inti Raymi was celebrated in 1412 but then was banned by the Catholic church in 1570 after the Spanish conquest, pushing them underground and almost into obscurity. The Inti Raymi was then revived in 1944 by Faustino Espinoza Navarro, a Quechua writer, actor, and director, who revived the celebration in Cusco as part of an effort to restore the pride and identity of the Quechua people.

This year's 2023 Inti Raymi will again be on June 24th, and it will take place in three historic and natural sceneries:

The first stage takes place at the “Qorikancha” or the temple of the Sun of the Incas; the most important temple in the Inca Empire. Crowds gather along the street to get their first glimpse of the hundreds of actors who will reenact this year’s Inti Raymi. Among them, the Inka and his female companion, the Qoya, greet the sun deity, Inti, and ask for a successful ceremony and a prosperous year. The celebration begins at 9:00 a.m. and lasts 45 minutes.

Eventually, the entire coterie begins to make its way to the main square of Cusco, the "Plaza de Armas," for a modern addition to the festivities known as the Meeting of the Times. Women toss flowers, swing incense, and sweep the streets in front of the Inca, who is carried on a litter or wheelless vehicle. He’s accompanied by conch-horn "pututo" blowers, soldiers, Queens and Princesses "ñustas," and other actors representing key figures of the Inca court. The Inca also performs a coca leaf ceremony and addresses the "Apus" or god mountain deities. Then, he gives a speech directed at Cusco’s current mayor, urging good governance as he speaks from a ceremonial platform known as an "ushnu." This part of the reenactments begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends one hour later.

The third and most important stage is at the fortress of “Saksaywaman” which is an Inca citadel located on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. Groups representing the four Inca States, or "Suyos," perform their traditional dances and give their reports to the Inca King. There are rituals involving fermented corn beer (chicha), bonfires, and a llama sacrifice to foretell the future of the Inca Empire from its entrails. While the sacrificed llama is not a real animal, the reenactment seems real and it ends with an uproar of general exaltation. Here the ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts for one and a half hours.

To make advanced reservations and not miss this amazing festival, visit the IntiRaymiPeru.com website where you have many options from tickets, to full Inti Raymi tours with exclusive seating at the main event in Sacsayhuaman, a box lunch, a guide, and transportation. Since all of the spoken parts of the Inti Raymi celebration, are in "Quechua," a booklet is provided to follow the script with translations in English, Spanish, and many other languages.

The weeks before and following the Inti Raymi are full of open-air concerts and almost daily dance parades. This is because June is also considered Cusco’s anniversary, its Jubilee Month. If you’re planning on visiting Cusco in June, it's recommended that you contact IntiRaymiPeru as they also can help you with all of your travel needs.

Carlos Suyos
Inti Raymi Peru
+1 786-577-7772
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Inti Raymi 2023 Festival of the Sun

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