Inti Raymi Rituals: Sun Worship and Incan Ceremonies

BY NICOLE LAU

Sacred Ceremonies for the Sun God

Inti Raymi rituals were elaborate, multi-day ceremonies that engaged the entire Inca Empire in honoring the sun god. These practices combined astronomical precision, spiritual devotion, and communal celebration to ensure the sun's return and the empire's prosperity.

The Three-Day Purification Fast

Three days before Inti Raymi (June 21-23), the people of Cusco and surrounding areas began purification. Abstain from meat, salt, and spicy foods. Abstain from sexual relations. No fires lit in homes or temples. Minimal speaking, focusing on prayer and meditation.

This fast created physical and spiritual purity, preparing participants to receive Inti's blessing. The absence of fire symbolized the sun's weakness and created anticipation for the new fire ceremony.

The Dawn Greeting at Qorikancha

On June 24th at dawn, the ceremony began at Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun). The Sapa Inca, royal family, high priests, and Virgins of the Sun gathered in the temple's courtyard. As the sun rose, all participants raised their arms toward it, making kissing sounds as a sign of reverence and devotion.

The Sapa Inca offered chicha (sacred corn beer) to Inti, pouring it into a golden basin that drained into the temple's foundation, symbolically feeding the sun god and the earth.

The Grand Procession

After the dawn ceremony, a magnificent procession moved from Qorikancha through Cusco's Plaza de Armas to Sacsayhuamán fortress. Participants included: The Sapa Inca carried on a golden litter, royal family and nobility in ceremonial dress, high priests in elaborate regalia, Virgins of the Sun in white garments, warriors displaying military prowess, musicians playing drums, flutes, and trumpets, dancers performing sacred choreography, common people carrying offerings.

Sacred white llamas, adorned with gold ear ornaments and colorful textiles, were led in the procession as offerings to Inti.

The Main Ceremony at Sacsayhuamán

The Sapa Inca's Invocation

At Sacsayhuamán, the Sapa Inca sat on a golden throne facing the sun. He delivered prayers and invocations in Quechua, calling upon Inti to accept the offerings, strengthen his power, bless the empire, ensure agricultural abundance, protect the people.

These prayers acknowledged the sun's weakness at the winter solstice and pleaded for his return and renewal.

The Sacred Offerings

Offerings were presented to Inti: White llamas (the most sacred), guinea pigs, coca leaves (sacred plant), chicha (corn beer), gold and silver objects, fine textiles, maize and other foods.

Each offering was blessed by priests and presented with specific prayers and rituals.

The Llama Sacrifice

The most important ritual was the sacrifice of a white llama. A high priest performed the sacrifice swiftly and reverently. The llama's organs (especially lungs and heart) were examined for omens about the coming year. The heart was offered to Inti. The blood was used to bless the Sapa Inca, nobles, and people.

This sacrifice was understood not as violence but as sacred exchange—the llama's life force strengthened Inti and ensured the empire's survival.

The New Fire Ceremony

The climax of Inti Raymi was the creation of new fire. Priests used a golden concave mirror (usnu) to focus the sun's rays onto tinder, igniting sacred fire. This demonstrated Inti's continued power despite his weakness. The new fire was distributed throughout the empire, rekindling every hearth and temple flame.

Families extinguished their old fires and lit new ones from the Inti Raymi flame, symbolically participating in the sun's rebirth and the renewal of cosmic order.

The Nine Days of Celebration

Following the main ceremony, nine days of feasting, dancing, and celebration ensued. The Sapa Inca distributed gifts to the people: food and chicha, textiles and clothing, coca leaves, gold and silver objects (to nobility).

Traditional dances were performed, each with specific meaning: Dances honoring Inti and Pachamama, warrior dances displaying military strength, agricultural dances celebrating planting and harvest, animal dances connecting to sacred creatures.

Music filled Cusco: drums (wankar), flutes (quena), panpipes (zampoña), trumpets (pututo), rattles and bells.

Modern Inti Raymi Ritual Adaptations

The Sunrise Greeting

Wake before dawn on June 24th. Face east (or the direction of sunrise in your location). As the sun rises, raise your arms in greeting. Speak: "Inti, Father Sun, I honor you. I thank you for your light, warmth, and life-giving power. As you return from your journey, I welcome you. Blessed be."

Make an offering: pour water, chicha, or juice onto the earth, or leave flowers, corn, or bread.

The Purification Practice

In the three days before Inti Raymi, practice simplified purification: Eat simply (vegetables, grains, fruits), avoid alcohol and excess, spend time in silence or meditation, refrain from unnecessary consumption, focus on gratitude and devotion.

This creates receptivity to the sun's blessing without requiring extreme fasting.

The Fire Ceremony

If you have safe outdoor space, light a small fire on June 24th. If not, light a gold or yellow candle. Speak: "I honor Inti, the sun god. I call upon your power to renew, transform, and bless. As you return from your furthest point, I celebrate your strength. May this fire represent your eternal flame."

Make offerings to the fire: herbs, flowers, written intentions, biodegradable items. Let the fire burn completely, then scatter ashes on earth.

The Gratitude Ritual

Create an altar with gold cloth, yellow candles, corn (fresh or dried), images of the sun, gold-colored objects. Sit before the altar. Reflect on everything the sun provides: light, warmth, food (through photosynthesis), energy, life itself.

Speak gratitude aloud: "Inti, I thank you for [specific blessings]. I honor your power and your cycles. I trust in your return."

Community Inti Raymi Celebration

Gather friends or spiritual community. Create procession (even if just walking around a park or neighborhood). Designate someone as "Sapa Inca" to lead ceremony. Prepare offerings together (flowers, corn, chicha or juice). Perform sunrise greeting as a group. Share feast of corn-based foods, fruits, and traditional Andean dishes if available. Dance and make music together. Share what you're grateful for and what you're calling in for the new cycle.

Ethical Considerations

When adapting Incan rituals, approach with respect: Acknowledge this is not your ancestral tradition (unless you are of Andean descent). Learn about Incan history and ongoing indigenous struggles. Support indigenous Andean communities when possible. Don't claim to be practicing "authentic" Incan religion—you're honoring and adapting. Avoid cultural appropriation: don't wear sacred regalia or claim indigenous identity you don't have.

The goal is respectful appreciation and spiritual connection, not cultural theft.

Conclusion: Honoring the Sun's Return

Inti Raymi rituals teach us that the sun is worthy of devotion, that cosmic cycles require human participation, that gratitude and offering create reciprocity with the divine, and that community celebration strengthens both individuals and the collective.

Whether you perform elaborate ceremonies or simple sunrise greetings, the essence remains: honoring the sun at its turning point, trusting in its return, and aligning yourself with the cosmic order that sustains all life.

In the next article, we'll explore Inti Raymi magic and spell work, focusing on sun god power practices and Incan-inspired magical techniques.