The Winter Solstice Festival: Kapak Raymi

Someone asked me to elaborate on the winter solstice festival after my last post (shoutout to Jan!). So I’m sharing a little blurb about it from the magazine I work for.

Kapak Raymi is a festival in honor of wisdom, and is celebrated on the 21st of December, hallmay pacha. Rituals that are practiced include: hutuku unanchay, offerings for the elders of the community, in recognition of the lessons they teach the younger generations; warachikuyrutuchikuy, which are ceremonies dedicated to girls and boys age 7, where they receive a pair of pants, symbolizing the roles one has in life, and they trim the end of their braids to symbolize the growth of their wisdom. Hallmay challay or the weeding and growing ritual and inti wantana, a ritual that ties the sun to the earth are also performed at this time.
For those of you who speak Spanish, here is the page from the Wiñay Kawsay magazine.
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If you want to check out the magazine, find them on Facebook:
You can also subscribe for $20 and they’ll send you the magazines digitally!
Much love,
Maya Wilcox