Inti Raymi

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Inti Raymi
Modern Inti Raymi at Sacsayhuamán, Peru
Official name	Inti Raymi
Also called	Festival of the Sun, Sun Festival
Observed by	Indigenous communities of Peru and Ecuador
Type	Cultural, Religious
Significance	In honor of the Apu Inti or Sun God Beginning of a new Inca year
Celebrations	Reenactment of Inca rituals, feasting, music, dance
Date	June 21 (in Argentina) June 22 (in Ecuador) June 24 (in Peru)
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Inca religion, Winter solstice

The Inti Raymi (Quechua for "Inti festival")^[1] is a traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti (Quechua for "sun"), the most venerated deity in Inca religion. It was the celebration of the winter solstice^ – the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset – and the Inca New Year, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again. Celebrated on June 24, the Inti Raymi was the most important festival of the Inca Empire, as described by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and took place in the Haukaypata, the main square of Cusco.^[2]

Today, the festival is recognized as the second-largest festival in South America and the most important and well-attended celebration of the year in Cusco, attracting thousands of visitors from across Peru and around the world.^[3]