Peru celebrates some 3,000 festivals a year, so hardly a day goes by without a patron being honored in some part of the country. Most of today's festivals in Peru are a combination of religious celebrations from the Christian calendar (adopted in colonial times) and ancient forms of worship. The Inti Raymi Festival in Cuzco is one of Peru's largest and most majestic celebrations. For centuries Inti Raymi wasn't celebrated, but in the 1940s the Inca feast was brought back based on a script put together by a group of professors, archaeologists and historians from Cuzco. On June 24 each year, the Inti Raymi Festival or "sun festival" celebrates the winter solstice. The sun was the primary idol of the Incans and on the solstice they celebrated the return of the sun, which would provide food, life and health to the Incan people. The main performance - beginning late in the afternoon and lasting until sunset - is enacted on the esplanade of the remarkable Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cuzco. Actors from universities, schools, and armed forces bring the main characters to life and go through a long ceremony of ritual homage to the sun god. With a great display of music, song, dance, and costumes that are presumably Inca, the Inca ruler is carried from the Temple of the Sun to the Huacaypata, the main square of the city, where the local authorities are commanded to govern fairly. Then the participants set off for Sacsayhuaman, where high priests will sacrifice a black llama - a very significant part of the ceremony. When the sun sets, the Inca orders his subjects to withdraw, and general celebrations break out, often lasting for several days. We will, of course, be attending this colorful Inti Raymi Festival on: The Andean Explorer - June 18-25 and June 23-30 The Inca Trail & Beyond - Jun 16-25 and June 23-Jul 2 departures The "Other" Inca Trail - Jun 15-26 departure If you can, please join us. Don't forget to bring your camera - and plenty of film! For more information and reservations, please contact: Mountain Travel Sobek 1266 66th Street, Suite 4 Emeryville, CA 94608 USA Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526 Phone: +1-510-594-6000 Fax: + 1-510-594-6001 Email: info@mtsobek.com