Festivals of the Inca

The Inca believed in time and space to be sacred. Therefore their calendar was made based on religion. A major festival was held every month and alongside the major festivals were the minor ceremonies. The Inca conducted festivals through sacrifice of animal and human hearts, and offers of valuables to the gods. Those in major cities such as Cusco sacrificed hearts more often. Blatantly because the rural areas had less money and they needed the animals for food. It would be an adamant task for them to provide food and sacrifce animals at the same time.

The Incan calendar started on what is presently known as December or "the first month". The first month was for planting Coca and the Inca sacrificed gold, silver and lives to the sun (god) for good harvest. The second month was a month of fasting. They offered sacrifices to the god, Viracocha and covered their bodies with ashes. The third and fourth months were to insure the ripening of crops and the people (farmers) deprived themselves of salt and fruit in the fourth month as an offer to the gods. On the fifth month, the subjects honoured the king by holding ceremonies similar to those of when trying appeasing the gods. The sixth month was full of singing and dancing for it is the month when the crops were collected and enjoyed. A group of them had a big feast called "The Feast of Aymara". The festival for the seventh month was one of the most important and can still be seen in Cusco today. It is the festival of Inti Raymi, the Sun God. He is also called, Apu Punchau. Animal hearts were sacrificed and valuables were offered in this festival so that the sun would stay healthy. On the eighth month, farmers began their harvest and therefore festivals of harvest and irrigation took place on this month. On the Ninth month, animal and human sacrifices were made to all gods to show respect. A feast was held and the lands were tilled for the next season of harvesting. The tenth month was held for the moon god and for the purification of Cusco. Nobles were sacrificed for this process. The eleventh month was the dry season and consequently, festivals were held to pray for rainfall. The last month was the festival of the dead. Mummies of dead kings were brought to the Main Square of Cusco and offered food. Singing and dancing was also a part of this ceremony.

 The minor ceremonies that were held were held according to gender. This means that since women did the cooking and gathering, they had ceremonies for good harvest. The men were usually the ones that went out to hunt and to raid out cities so they had ceremonies for just that. Civilizations in the southeastern Incan empire held something called a "Green Corn Ceremony" where they drink a black drink and vomit to welcome the New Year. They would throw away old stuff and get new ones as a sign of a new start. Everything in the Incan civilization revolved around their gods and most festivals were based on agriculture because that had a lot of factors that they believed depended on a god. Scholars believe that many of the festivals actually came from Christian influence and that is the ostensible truth for them. Others believe that Incans were just pure amazing and respect their culture however so it is.

Information:

"Inti." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2010  <http://school.ebonline.com/eb/article-9042637>.

"American Indians, or Native Americans." Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 14 Jan. 2010  <http://school.ebonline.com/all/comptons/article-285535>.

"Inca Calendar: Inca months and Inca festivals." Peru Travel Diary. N.p., n.d.

     Web. 13 Jan. 2010. <http://www.machupicchu-inca.com/

     inca-calendar.html>.

Gill, Nicholas. "Inti Raymi: Incan Sun Festivals: Cusco Festival." Suite 101.

     N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://southamericatravel.suite101.com/

     article.cfm/inti_raymi_incan_sun_festival>.

Picture:

Perry, Jim. "The Shaman’s Medicine Hut." Summer Solstice. N.p., n.d. Web. 13

     Jan. 2010. <http://images.google.com.my/

     imgres?imgurl=http://shamansmedicinehut.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/

     intiraymi.jpg&imgrefurl=http://shamansmedicinehut.wordpress.com/2009/06/20/

     summer-solstice/

     &usg=__qhvZNjsQVm0pxI09Udl7atvdfMg=&h=549&w=391&sz=32&hl=en&start=1&>.