Quyllurit'i or Qoyllur Rit'i (
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
''quyllu rit'i,'' ''quyllu'' bright white, ''rit'i'' snow, "bright white snow,") is a syncretic religious festival held annually at the Sinakara Valley in the southern highlands
Cusco Region of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. Local indigenous people of the Andes know this festival as a native celebration of the stars. In particular they celebrate the reappearance of the
Pleiades
The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...
constellation, known in Quechua as ''Qullqa,'' or "storehouse," and associated with the upcoming harvest and New Year. The Pleiades disappears from view in April and reappears in June. The new year is marked by indigenous people of the Southern Hemisphere on the
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...
in June, and it is also a Catholic festival. The people have celebrated this period of time for hundreds if not thousands of years. The pilgrimage and associated festival was inscribed in 2011 on the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.
According to the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, the festival is in honor of the Lord of Quyllurit'i ( qu, Taytacha Quyllurit'i, es, Señor de Quyllurit'i) and it originated in the late 18th century. The young native herder Mariano Mayta befriended a
mestizo boy named Manuel on the mountain
Qullqipunku
Jolljepunco (possibly from Quechua ''qullqi'' money, silver, ''p'unqu'' pond, reservoir, tank; dam, "silver pond"), Colquepunco (possibly from Quechua ''punku'' door, "silver door") or Sasahui (''sasawi'') local name for '' Leucheria daucifolia ...
. Thanks to Manuel, Mariano's herd prospered, so his father sent him to Cusco to buy a new shirt for Manuel. Mariano could not find anything similar, because that kind of cloth was sold only to the archbishop. Learning of this, the bishop of Cusco sent a party to investigate. When they tried to capture Manuel, he was transformed into a bush with an image of Christ crucified hanging from it. Thinking the archbishop's party had harmed his friend, Mariano died on the spot. He was buried under a rock, which became a place of pilgrimage known as the Lord of ''Quyllurit'i,'' or "Lord of Star (Brilliant) Snow." An image of Christ was painted on this boulder.
The Quyllurit'i festival attracts thousands of indigenous people from the surrounding regions, made up of ''Paucartambo'' groups (
Quechua speakers) from the agricultural regions to the northwest of the shrine, and ''Quispicanchis'' (
Aymara speakers) from the pastoral (herders) regions to the southeast. Both
moieties make an annual pilgrimage to the feast, bringing large troupes of dancers and musicians. There are four groups of participants with particular roles: ''ch'unchu,'' ''qulla,'' ''ukuku,'' and ''machula.'' Attendees increasingly have included middle-class Peruvians and foreign tourists.
The festival takes place in late May or early June, to coincide with the full moon. It falls one week before the Christian feast of
Corpus Christi. Events include several processions of holy icons and dances in and around the shrine of the Lord of Quyllurit'i. The culminating event for the indigenous non-Christian population takes place after the reappearance of ''Qullqa'' in the night sky; it is the rising of the sun after the full moon. Tens of thousands of people kneel to greet the first rays of light as the sun rises above the horizon. Until recently, the main event for the Church was carried out by ''ukukus,'' who climbed glaciers over
Qullqipunku
Jolljepunco (possibly from Quechua ''qullqi'' money, silver, ''p'unqu'' pond, reservoir, tank; dam, "silver pond"), Colquepunco (possibly from Quechua ''punku'' door, "silver door") or Sasahui (''sasawi'') local name for '' Leucheria daucifolia ...
and brought back crosses and blocks of ice to place along the road to the shrine. These are believed to be medicinal with healing qualities. Due to the melting of the glacier, the ice is no longer carried down.
Origins
There are several accounts of the origins of the Quyllurit'i festival. What follows are two versions: one relates the pre-Columbian origins, and the other the Catholic Church's version as compiled by the priest of the town of
Ccatca between 1928 and 1946.
Pre-Columbian origins
The Inca followed both solar and lunar cycles throughout the year. The cycle of the moon was of primary importance for the timing of both agricultural activities and associated festivals. There are many celebration of seasonal events related to animal husbandry, sowing seeds, and harvesting of crops. Important festivals such as Quyllurit'i, perhaps the most important festival given its significance and meaning, are still celebrated on the full moon.
The Quyllurit'i festival takes place at the end of a period of a few months when the
Pleiades
The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...
constellation, or Seven Sisters, a 7-star cluster in the
Taurus constellation, disappears and reappears in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. Its time of disappearance was marked in Inca culture by a festival for ''
Pariacaca
Pariacaca, Paria Caca'','' Paryaqaqa, Parya Qaqa, (possibly from Quechua ''parya'' reddish; copper; sparrow, ''qaqa'' rock) or Tullujuto (possibly from Quechua ''tullu'' bone, ''qutu'' heap, "bone heap") is the highest mountain in the Pariacaca ...
,'' the god of water and torrential rains. It occurs near the date of ''qarwa mita'' (''qarwa'' meaning when the corn leaves are yellow).
[Antoinette Molinié Fioravanti, ''Celebrando el Cuerpo de Dios'' (Corpus Christi Festival)](_blank)
Fondo Editorial PUCP, 1999, pp. 197-198
The return of the constellation about 40 days later, called ''unquy mita'' in Quechua,
was long associated in the Southern Hemisphere with the time of the coming harvest and therefore a time of abundance for the people. Incan astronomers had named the Pleiades constellation as ''Qullqa,'' or "storehouse," in their native language of
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
.
Metaphorically, the constellation's disappearance from the night sky and reemergence approximately two months afterward is a signal that the human planes of existence have times of disorder and chaos, but also return to order.
Catholic Church origins
In the city of
Cuzco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
in the late 17th century, the celebration of Corpus Christi reached a height under Bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo (1673–99), with processions through the city including Inca nobles in ceremonial regalia. The bishop also commissioned portraits of the nobles in their ceremonial clothes. Scholars such as Carolyn Dean have studies this evidence for its suggestions about related church rituals.
[Kris E. Lane, "Review: Carolyn Dean, ''Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ: Corpus Christi in Colonial Cuzco, Peru'' "](_blank)
''Ethnohistory,'' Volume 48, Number 3, Summer 2001, pp. 544-546; accessed 22 December 2016
Dean believes that such early churchmen thought that such Catholic rituals could displace indigenous ones. She examines the feast of Corpus Christi and its relationship to the indigenous harvest festival at winter solstice, celebrated in early June in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to the church, events of the late 18th century that included a sighting of Christ on the mountain
Qullqipunku
Jolljepunco (possibly from Quechua ''qullqi'' money, silver, ''p'unqu'' pond, reservoir, tank; dam, "silver pond"), Colquepunco (possibly from Quechua ''punku'' door, "silver door") or Sasahui (''sasawi'') local name for '' Leucheria daucifolia ...
became part of myth, and the pilgrimage festival of the Lord of Quyllurit'i is still celebrated in the 21st century.
It is told that an Indian boy named Mariano Mayta used to watch over his father's herd of
alpaca
The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can success ...
on the slopes of the mountain. He wandered into the snowfields of the glacier, where he encountered a
mestizo boy named Manuel. They became good friends, and Manuel provided Mariano with food. When the boy did not return home for meals, Mariano's father went looking for his son. He was surprised to find his herd had increased. As a reward, he sent Mariano to
Cusco to get new clothes. Mariano asked to buy some also for Manuel, who wore the same outfit every day. His father agreed, so Mariano asked Manuel for a sample in order to buy the same kind of cloth in Cusco.
Mariano was told that this refined cloth was restricted for use only by the bishop of the city. Mariano went to see the prelate, who was surprised by the request. He ordered an inquiry of Manuel, directed by the priest of
Oncogate (''Quispicanchi''), a village close to the mountain. On June 12, 1783, the commission ascended Qullqipunku with Mariano; they found Manuel dressed in white and shining with a bright light. Blinded, they retreated, returning with a larger party. On their second try they reached the boy. But when they touched him, he was transformed into a tayanka bush (''
Baccharis odorata
''Baccharis'' is a genus of perennials and shrubs in the aster family (Asteraceae). They are commonly known as baccharises but sometimes referred to as "brooms", because many members have small thin leaves resembling the true brooms. They are n ...
'') with the crucified Christ hanging from it. Thinking the party had harmed his friend, Mariano fell dead on the spot. He was buried under the rock where Manuel had last appeared.
The tayanka tree was sent to Spain, as requested by king
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
. As it was never returned, the Indian population of Ocongate protested. The local priest ordered a replica, which became known as Lord of Tayankani ( es, Señor de Tayankani). The burial site of Mariano attracted a great number of Indian devotees, who lit candles before the rock. Religious authorities ordered the painting of an image of Christ crucified on the rock. This image became known as Lord of Quyllurit'i ( es, Señor de Quyllurit'i). In
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
, ''quyllur'' means star and ''Rit'i'' means snow; thus, the term means Lord of Star Snow.
Pilgrims
![Festive Costume (3938465581)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Festive_Costume_%283938465581%29.jpg)
The Quyllurit'i festival attracts more than 10,000 pilgrims annually, most of them indigenous peoples from rural communities in nearby regions. They are from two
moieties: Quechua-speaking ''Paucartambo,'' people from agricultural communities located to the northwest of the shrine in the provinces of
Cusco,
Calca,
Paucartambo Paucartambo may refer to:
* Paucartambo Province, Cusco region
* Paucartambo District, Paucartambo
Paucartambo (from Quechua: Pawqar Tampu, meaning "colored '' tambo''") is one of six districts of the Paucartambo Province in Peru.
Geography
On ...
and
Urubamba; and Aymara-speaking ''Quispicanchis,'' which encompasses those living to the southeast in the provinces of
Acomayo
Acomayo is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Acomayo in the region Cusco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of th ...
,
Canas Canas or Cañas may refer to:
Places
* Canas (Lycia), a town of ancient Lycia, now in Turkey
* Amatlán de Cañas, a municipality in Nayarit, Mexico
* Cañas Canton, in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica
* Cañas, Costa Rica, capital of the Cañas (ca ...
,
Canchis and
Quispicanchi, This geographic division also reflects social and economic distinctions, as the Quechuas of Paucartambo cultivate agricultural crops, whereas Quispicanchis is populated by the
Aymara
Aymara may refer to:
Languages and people
* Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language
** Aymara language, the main language within that family
** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...
, whose lives are based on animal husbandry, especially herds of
alpaca
The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can success ...
and
llama
The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.
Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...
.
Peasants from both moieties undertake an annual pilgrimage to the Quyllurit'i festival, with representatives of each community carrying a small image of Christ to the sanctuary. Together, these delegations include a large troupe of dancers and musicians dressed in four main styles:
*
Ch'unchu: wearing feathered headdresses and carrying a wood staff, the ''
ch'unchus'' represent the indigenous inhabitants of the
Amazon Rainforest, to the north of the sanctuary. There are several types of ''ch'unchu'' dancers; the most common is ''wayri ch'unchu,'' which comprises up to 70% of all Quyllurit'i dancers.
*
Qhapaq Qulla
Qhapaq Qulla (Quechua ''qhapaq'' noble, principal, mighty;Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, ''Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha,'' La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary) ''Qulla'' an indigenous people) is a folk dance in Peru. It is performed ...
: dressed in a "waq'ullu" knitted mask, a hat, a woven sling and a
llama
The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.
Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...
skin, ''
qulla
The Qulla (Quechuan for ''south'', Hispanicized and mixed spellings: ''Colla, Kolla'') are an indigenous people of western Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina living in west of Jujuy and west of Salta Province. The 2004 Complementary Indigenous Survey r ...
s'' represent the Aymara inhabitants of the ''
Altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...
'' to the south of the sanctuary. ''Qulla'' is considered a
mestizo dance style, whereas ''ch'unchu'' is regarded as indigenous.
*''Ukuku:'' clad in a dark coat and a woolen mask, the ''ukukus'' (
spectacled bear) represent the role of
trickster
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...
s; they speak in high-pitched voices, and play pranks, but have the serious responsibility of keeping order among the thousands of pilgrims. Some also go up to the glacier to spend the night. They cut blocks of glacier ice and carry them on their backs to their people at the festival in the valley. When melted, the water is believed to be medicinal for body and mind. It is used for holy water in the churches during the next year. In Quechua mythology, ''ukukus'' are the offspring of a woman and a bear, feared by everyone because of their supernatural strength. In these stories, the ''ukuku'' redeems itself by defeating a ''condenado,'' a cursed soul, and becoming an exemplary farmer.
*Machula: wearing a mask, a humpback, and a long coat, and carrying a walking stick, ''machulas'' represent the ''ñawpa machus,'' the mythical first inhabitants of the Andes. In a similar way to the ''ukukus,'' they perform an ambiguous role in the festival, being comical as well as constabulary figures.
Quyllur Rit'i also attracts visitors from outside the Paucartambo and Quispicanchis moieties. Since the 1970s, an increasing number of
middle-class mainstream Peruvians undertake the pilgrimage, some of them at a different date than more traditional pilgrims. There has also been a rapid growth in the number of North American and European tourists drawn to the indigenous festival, prompting fears that it is becoming too commercialized. The pilgrimage and associated festival were inscribed in 2011 on the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.
Festival
The festival is attended by thousands of indigenous people, some of whom come from as far away as Bolivia. The Christian celebration is organized by the Brotherhood of the Lord of Quyllurit'i ( es, Hermandad del Señor de Quyllurit'i), a lay organization that also keeps order during the festival. Preparations start on the feast of the
Ascension, when the Lord of Quyllurit'i is carried in
procession
A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner.
History
Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...
from its chapel at
Mawallani 8 kilometers to its sanctuary at
Sinaqara
Cinajara or Sinaqara is a mountain in the Vilcanota mountain range in the Andes of Peru, about high. It is situated in the Cusco Region, Quispicanchi Province, in the districts Ccarhuayo and Ocongate.escale.minedu.gob.pe - UGEL map of the Q ...
.
On the first Wednesday after
Pentecost, a second procession carries a statue of
Our Lady of Fatima
Our or OUR may refer to:
* The possessive form of " we"
* Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
* Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium
* Our, Jura, a commune in France
* Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulat ...
from the Sinaqqara sanctuary to an uphill grotto to prepare for the festival. Most pilgrims arrive by
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: th ...
, when the
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...
is taken in procession through and around the sanctuary.
The following day, the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i is taken in procession to the grotto of the Virgin and back. Pilgrims refer to this as the greeting between the Lord and Mary, referring to the double traditional Inca feasts of ''Pariacaca'' and ''Oncoy mita.'' (See section above.) On the night of this second day, dance troupes take turns to perform in the shrine.
At dawn on the third day, ''ukukus'' grouped by moieties climb the glaciers on Qullqipunku to retrieve crosses set on top. Some ukukus traditionally spent the night on the glacier to combat spirits. They also cut and bring back blocks of the ice, which is believed to have sacred medicinal qualities. The ukukus are considered to be the only ones capable of dealing with ''condenados,'' the cursed souls said to inhabit the snowfields. According to oral traditions, ''ukukus'' from different moieties used to engage in
ritual battles on the glaciers, but this practice was banned by the Catholic Church. After a mass celebrated later this day, most pilgrims leave the sanctuary. One group carries the Lord of Quyllurit'i in procession to
Tayankani before taking it back to Mawallani.
[Sallnow, ''Pilgrims of the Andes'', p. 228.]
The festival precedes the official feast of Corpus Christi, held the Thursday following Trinity Sunday, but it is closely associated with it.
See also
*
Religion in Peru
*
Syncretism
Notes
Bibliography
* Allen, Catherine. ''The Hold Life Has: Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community''. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.
* Ceruti, Maria Constanza. ''Qoyllur Riti: etnografia de un peregrinaje ritual de raiz incaica por las altas montañas del Sur de Peru'' (in Spanish)
* Dean, Carolyn. ''Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ: Corpus Christi in Colonial Cusco, Peru''. Durham: Duke University Press, 1999.
* Randall, Robert. "Qoyllur Rit'i, an Inca fiesta of the Pleiades: reflections on time & space in the Andean world," ''Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Etudes Andines'' 9 (1–2): 37–81 (1982).
* Randall, Robert. "Return of the Pleiades". ''Natural History'' 96 (6): 42–53 (June 1987).
* Sallnow, Michael. ''Pilgrims of the Andes: regional cults in Cusco''. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987.
External links
Seti Gershberg, "Qoyllur Riti: An Inca Festival Celebrating the Stars" May 2013, The Path of the Sun website
Essex College (UK)
*
ttp://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~iespinal/qoyllur_riti/index.html Vicente Revilla, photographer: ''Qoyllur Rit'i: In Search of the Lord of the Snow Star'' online exhibit, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst, October 1999
{{good article
Catholic holy days
Religion in Peru
Festivals in Peru
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Indigenous culture of the Andes
Tourist attractions in Cusco Region
Christian festivals in South America
July events