Inti Raymi d'Otavalo

The festival

In Otavalo, in the Andes of northern Ecuador, the Inti Raymi, also called Hatun Puncha, the "Great Day", is the major celebration of the Kichwa communities, in gratitude to the Sun (Inti) and Pachama for the maize harvest. From June 21, solstice, to June 29, San Pedro's feast, the dancers rotate from house to house and from community to community. On the night of June 22-23, the Armay Tuta: the ritual bath of purification, naked or almost, in the sacred rivers and waterfalls.

On June 24, the day of St John's, the summit comes: the "Toma de la Plaza", the dance of the Place d'Otavalo by thousands of Sanjuanas with broad-sided hats, led by the masked character of the Aya Huma. A feast of reciprocity and identity, distinct from the Inti Raymi of Cusco.